Memory Lapse
by LifeEqualsMusic
Summary: Ten/Rose. Spoilers for Journey's End, the specials and Torchwood series two. After saving the Earth from Davros and leaving Rose at Bad Wolf Bay, the Doctor returns to Earth to find that he has been erased from history.
1. Chapter 1

**This idea has been floating around in my head for a while now, and watching Journey's End again made my mind up for me, and now I have to write it. First crack at writing Doctor Who, and PLEASE don't nitpick about slight errors in dialogue. I AM Canadian, not English.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, because David Tennant wouldn't have left if I did.**

***EDITS* I added a little to the Doctor's last rant and ironed out a few sticky spots that I really didn't like. Not too many changes, though.**

**Chapter 1**

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'Argh!' The Doctor shouted in frustration at the TARDIS. The old girl was behaving badly again, and he really wasn't in the mood to deal with her. He had misstepped earlier, leaving a nasty lump on his temple while trying to change a light that had burned out years earlier. Rose had hated it, always saying that it threw off the whole look of the TARDIS, and she nagged at him for months to change it. If he was being honest with himself, the Doctor had to admit that he hated it too, but he found her annoyance with small details really quite endearing, so he selfishly left it broken. He had also been planning to fix the chameleon circuit before Rose came aboard, even though he did like the police box, if not only for a change. Then he met her and she changed him, completely for the better, and she loved it. So he left it.

Nevertheless, the TARDIS was acting up, and he couldn't fix her, so he set the co-ordinates for Cardiff and materialized just outside of Torchwood. He stepped onto the invisible lift that Jack had shown him and descended into the depths of Cardiff, straight into the Hub.

As he stepped off the lift, making what had originally thought was a very minimal amount of noise, Jack, Gwen and Ianto whipped around as they drew their guns. To say the least, the Doctor was a bit alarmed, and he put his hands in the air in surrender with a small smile. How dedicated to secrecy they were. Jack realized it was his favorite Time Lord, and relaxed, crossing the room in three long strides and crushed the Doctor in a bear hug. Gwen and Ianto, however, remained where they were, guns still pointed at the Doctor.

'Jack, what are you doing?' Gwen asked in her thick Welsh accent. 'Who is he?' Jack pulled away from the Doctor and turned toward her.

'Gwen, it's the Doctor, you know him. Remember, I saved the universe with him a couple of weeks ago?' He glanced at Ianto, who had the same aggressive expression, though his eyes were clouded with confusion.

'Jack, you've been in Cardiff for weeks. You left a little over a year ago, but since then, you've barely left the Hub. Apart from catching Weevils, you haven't gone anywhere,' Ianto reasoned. The Doctor's jaw dropped. And not much could be said or done to make him do that.

'Doctor, what's going on?' Jack asked out of the corner of his mouth as he slowly inched in front of him to protect him from his colleagues. 'Why don't they remember you?' The Doctor sighed.

'I really don't know, Jack, but I intend to find out. Gwen, Ianto, a pleasure to see you again, but Jack and I have to run. Allons-y!' He dashed back to the lift, pulling Jack behind him. As soon as they reached the surface, he cursed.

'The TARDIS. I forgot about her.' Seeing Jack's eyebrow raise, he elaborated. 'She's been a bit… Dodgy lately. I think that last trip through the Void tired her out.' Jack stopped walking and spun the Doctor around to face him.

'Why did you go through the Void, Doc? Where are Rose and the Human-Metacrisis? Where's Donna?' The Doctor averted his eyes and turned around.

' I did it again, Jack. I lost Rose. She's with the Metacrisis and they're all living a happy little life in the parallel universe without me. Did it ever occur to anyone, Jack, that maybe I'm too selfish? I wanted her for myself, and that's what she got. She got a human version of me, a chunk of _my_ TARDIS and her family. What do I have? Memories. Ghosts of the past.' He laughed bitterly. 'Not much to hang onto, is it? Donna nearly died, you know. I had to wipe her memory, and now she doesn't remember me. Do you know what her last words to me were, Jack? She said "no, please, don't make me go back." And I couldn't stop it. A new race, and it nearly killed her.' The Doctor's voice started calmly, but now it was becoming more and more strained. 'The Time Lords are dead. All of them. Locked in the Time War. Then Rose came. She saved me, and I lost her. Twice. What kind of man just gives up the one person he-' He broke off, unable to continue. 'We have to go. We have to figure out why they can't remember me.' Jack had been listening to the Doctor in silence and nodded.

'Let's go then, Doc.' He started to walk toward the TARDIS and stopped in his tracks. 'And for the record, memories are the only thing we have, so you damn well better hang onto them.' He took a few more steps forward and again, stopped immediately, and began to shake. The Doctor's brow creased in concern, and he took a step toward him.

'Jack? What's happened? What's wrong?' Jack wheeled around and stared at the Doctor with a worried expression.

'It's the Rift. Something's not right. I can feel it.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two is up! Ice cream for all! A little shorter than I would have liked, but I think I ended on a pretty fantastic note. The metacrisis/Rose is NOT my favorite pairing, and it's not the main pairing of this story, so don't get all pissy and stop reading. This is TEN/ROSE and it always will be. :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, though having my own human metacrisis Doctor would be kind of nice.**

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Chapter 2

Two people stood on a beach, hand in hand, remembering the day the other half of their lives ran away. The girl looked up at the tall lanky man beside her and gave him a small smile.

'Hello,' she murmured quietly and she felt him squeeze her hand softly.

'Hello,' he whispered back, 'I _am_ him, I know that you know.' She nodded.

'Yes, you're right. You _are_ him. I love you.' He flashed her a million pound smile and pulled her into his arms.

'I love you too. Rassilon, I love you so much. We can grow the chunk of TARDIS the he gave me, and-' the girl rested her index finger against his lips and shushed him.

'We can't. She's not going to be the same. She won't be the TARDIS that I absorbed, and the one that I loved. And besides,' she smirked, 'I was looking forward to getting that mortgage with you.' The man called the Doctor chuckled and swept the girl named Rose off her feet. Throwing her over his shoulder, he made his way back to the car they had driven out to this beach that meant so much to them. Dårlig Ulv Stranden- or Bad Wolf Bay.

The Doctor was a bit rusty on driving, so he preferred to drive in silence, concentrating on the road until he felt more comfortable behind the wheel again, which left Rose alone with her thoughts. On the way back to London, Rose swallowed thickly, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling over.

'How… How much of his memory do you have?' her voice trembled slightly, but she managed to maintain her composure.

'All of it,' The Doctor replied, 'I have all of it, from when I was a child on Gallifrey until Donna shattered the tank that contained the hand that I became.'

'So… So then you remember. You remember when I fell through the Void. You remember me telling you that I loved you when I was last on this beach, and you remember seeing me in the middle of London with joy in your eyes.' The tears in Rose's eyes spilled over and ran down her face. The Doctor pulled over and parked the car. He took the keys out of the ignition and unbuckled his seatbelt, then did the same with Rose's. He then jumped out of the car and motioned for Rose to follow him. She took his hand and they took off running. They rushed into the woods and ran along a faint track in the brush, running until their lungs nearly burst. The Doctor slowed and sank to his knees.

'Damn this human anatomy, I can't run nearly as far as I used to,' he gasped. Rose laughed and flopped down beside him, winded, but not incapacitated, like the Doctor seemed to be.

'You know, I have inferior human anatomy, and I managed to keep up with you for how long? Even with your respiratory bypass system. I think you're in worse shape than you originally thought.' She hid a smile as the Doctor recoiled in shock. 'If you don't lay off the sweets and keep exercising, that nice body of yours is going to get a bit… Round.' At that point, Rose could no longer hide her amusement and burst into laughter at the Doctor's horror.

'It's not funny! This is my favorite regeneration!' The Doctor's eyes were wide, and he straightened up to his full height, which was considerably taller than Rose. However, she wasn't even slightly intimidated by his six foot frame, and took hold of his tie, pulling him in for a proper snog. He was slightly stunned, and then threw himself into the kiss, forcing Rose to take a step back to keep from falling over. She pulled away for a breath and smothered her laughter again as the Doctor cleared his throat, stammered something about "needing to, uh, fix that pesky check engine light," and proceeded to trip over his own feet fall right on his face. He scrambled up, straightened his suit jacket, looked around for witnesses to his newfound clumsiness and managed to head to the car in the correct direction, Rose in tow, doubled over in laughter the entire way.

Once the pair of ex-time travellers finally made it back to Pete's mansion, they collapsed on one of the couches in one of the many sitting rooms. Rose leaned back against the Doctor as he put an arm over her shoulders and laced his long fingers between her slim ones. She swung her feet up onto the couch and looked up at him, memorizing every detail of his face, down to the last freckle, just in case he decided to disappear out from underneath her. A slight frown crossed his features as he noticed her staring at him.

'You're staring at me, why?' Rose laughed, and the Doctor felt her body shake with it before he heard it.

'What, can't I stare at the most brilliant half-Time Lord in the room?'

'I _am_ pretty brilliant, you know,' the Doctor boasted, receiving a light smack for his arrogance.

'You're also the only half-Time lord in the room, you realize,' Rose countered.

'Yeah, I wasn't focusing on that, as much as you think I'm brilliant.'

'Oh, shut up.'

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**My goodness, that's short. I'll try and combine chapters later on, I just don't want to go weeks and weeks like I did for my other stories. *cough* Sparks *cough*.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Believe it or not, these chapters _are_ getting longer, slowly but surely. Having only one class twice a week really ensures that I can write NON-STOP and update eighteen times a day! Nah, a couple times a week is probably the most you'll see, unless I have a full day off, like today, when I'll probably get another chapter up today. So... Yeah... Chapter three! Woohoo!

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Chapter 3

While the TARDIS was refuelling, Jack and the Doctor stopped in the kitchen for some tea. The Doctor sat down opposite his old friend and told him everything that had happened after he dropped him Mickey and Martha off at Torchwood.

'So, you're telling me you just let them go. You just let _her_ go.' Jack was incredulous, but dropped his eyes as he got a warning look from the Doctor.

'Yes, Jack. What choice did I have? She doesn't deserve to not be able to have a normal life. She couldn't have that with me. But she can have it with him.'

'You- She-' Jack sputtered, trying to find words, 'Doctor, you know she didn't want that life! She spent two full years trying to get back to you! How do you know she chose him?'

'Two years ago, she was in Norway, on a beach called Bad Wolf Bay. I projected an image of myself to that bay to say goodbye to her in two minutes, and during that time, she told me she loved me. I began to reply, but I only managed to say Rose Tyler before I was cut off. My human counterpart whispered what I was going to say in her ear, and she looked in his eyes, grabbed the lapels of his jacket, which he stole out of _my _wardrobe, by the way, and kissed him. I-' The Doctor broke off, then looked straight in Jack's eyes, ignoring the sensation of uneasiness building inside him every time he looked the ex-time agent in the eye. 'She chose him over me, but hey, let's go swan off and save the world again, not ever thinking about the Doctor's feelings, nah, he just does it because he loves this _stupid _planet, filled to the brim with equally _stupid_ apes.' Until this point, Jack had been listening in silence again, but his eyes widened when he heard the Doctor's harsh words about the Earth he loved, and the humans he loved even more.

'You said apes,' he said quietly, ignoring the Doctor's angry look. 'You haven't said that since your last regeneration.' He stood up abruptly, pushing his chair back and slamming his mug on the table, while fixing his friend with a furious glare. 'Don't say she _chose_ him, you _left_ her with him! There were no _choices _in the situation, except for yours! And yeah, you do love this planet, and these so called _stupid apes_! I know you well enough to see that. So don't go off on this whole woe-is me-pity-the-Doctor tangent, because I'm not listening anymore!' Jack was shaking with fury and the Doctor flung himself out of his chair and stalked out of the TARDIS into the streets of Cardiff without another word to Jack.

He didn't know where he was going, but in his silent rage, he ran straight into an unsuspecting woman on the street. Keeping his head down and mumbling a barely audible 'sorry' to the woman, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard her sharp voice pierce his thoughts.

'Oi! Watch it mate!' The Doctor's head flicked down and he saw his favorite ginger companion glaring up at him. Donna, however, was not impressed.

'Well, are you going to stand there with your mouth hanging open all day, or are you going to pick up the bags you've made me drop and take them to my car?' The Doctor snapped his mouth shut and nodded a bit forcefully.

'Right, uh, so sorry about that, it'd be the least I can do for running into you like that, miss.'

'Why do you say miss? Do I look single?' The Doctor laughed out loud at that, and then sobered quickly under Donna's withering glare.

'Uh, n-no, I just thought-'

'Thought what? That just because I don't have a man carrying my bags that I'm automatically single, and you can make your move? Well, tough luck, pretty boy, I'm engaged, and there's nothing you can do about it.'

'Really, who's the lucky guy?' the Doctor muttered half-sarcastically under his breath, which was not unnoticed by the fiery ginger who was now snatching her bags away from the Doctor and began to stalk off.

'Wait! Come back,' he called after her. She whipped around, and the Doctor found himself lost for words. 'Um, I think we started off wrong. I'm… John Smith. It's nice to meet you.' Donna's eyes lit up in recognition.

'You were at my mum's house a couple of weeks back, weren't you? ' The Doctor's jaw dropped again, and he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before managing to stammer out a response.

'You remember! Brilliant, I thought everyone had forgotten me!'

'Uh, yeah, well, I've got to get going, so if you'll just move out of the way, I'll be out of your ungodly big hair.' The Doctor grinned and stepped aside.

'Bye, Donna! Nice seeing you again!' Donna rolled her eyes.

'Weirdo.'

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**God, I love Donna.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is kind of mostly a re-write of _The Planet of the Dead, _so, spoilers... But... I don't know... I think it's good. Well... Kind of... It got a bit tough to make it interesting in the middle. And... I'm rambling. Oh God, just read.

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**Chapter 4**

After seeing Donna, the Doctor's spirits were high, and he stopped at a shop just to buy a banana. After downing the banana in four seconds flat (therefore disarming any potential attackers), he decided to head back to the TARDIS and, even if he really didn't want to, apologize for being such a prick to Jack. He was about to start walking back when he noticed the sky getting dark and decided to take the bus back to the Millennium Center, as he didn't know who he would run into on the streets, and, if he was being quite honest with himself, although this regeneration was his favorite (and the best looking), unless he could flirt his way out of being mugged, he didn't stand much of a chance of anyone in the streets at night. So, the Doctor bought a piece of chocolate and caught the next bus out, flashing the psychic paper to the driver, which showed him the Cardiff bus pass. The Doctor strode to an empty seat near the back and flung himself onto the worn seat next to a dark haired woman staring out the window.

'Hello,' he greeted cheerfully, more than he felt, as he offered some chocolate to the woman, 'Happy Easter! I don't often do Easter, the funny thing is, I can never find it. I'm always at a different time, although… I remember the original. Between you and me, what really happened was-' he was cut off by a high pitched sound coming from his pocket, and after examining his little dish, the bus was stranded on a desert planet. The Doctor sat down in the sand, slipped on his brainy specs and began examining the sand. The woman, whose name the Doctor learned was Christina came over to him and pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her bag.

'Ready for every emergency,' she announced. Not to be outdone, the Doctor whipped off his glasses and gave them a blast with his sonic, turning the lenses dark.

'Me too,' he retorted, putting them back on his nose.

'And what's your name?' Christina inquired.

'The Doctor.'

'Name, not rank.'

'The Doctor.'

'Surname?'

'The Doctor.'

'You're called the Doctor?'

'Yes, I am.' Christina rolled her eyes.

'That's not a name, that's a psychological condition.' The Doctor continued messing about with the sand.

'Funny sort of sand, this. There's a trace of something else.' And before Christina could stop him, he put a small amount on his tongue, which he promptly spat out in disgust.

'Ahh, that's not good.'

'Well, it wouldn't be, it's sand,' Christina pointed out, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well, the world that they were no longer occupying. The patrons of the bus came up to the Doctor and immediately started blaming him for what had happened. Though he explained that he was only tracking a tiny hole in the fabric of reality, when they didn't believe him, he picked up a handful of sand and chucked it back through the hole.

'So, we can get back home from there?' the bus driver demanded, 'through that door, we can get back to Cardiff?' Before the Doctor had a chance to stop him, the driver raced toward the door and became a skeleton, falling through the door back to Cardiff. The temporary tenants of the bus worked it out for themselves that they wouldn't be able to get back through the door without getting the bus out of the sand, and Christina took charge of the situation quite forcefully. Once they were all in the bus, the Doctor began to explain that what had happened to them was nothing more than an accident, that they were just in the wrong place in the wrong time. However, he was interrupted by the quiet woman named Carmen spoke up.

'It wasn't an accident. That thing, the doorway, someone made it for a reason.'

'How do you know?' the Doctor asked, not unkindly. Carmen's husband, Lou chuckled.

'She's got a gift. Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things.' Apparently they win ten pounds twice a week, and when the Doctor held up three then four fingers behind his back, she relayed that information right back to him. She then told the Doctor that death was coming, and pandemonium broke loose. The woman called Angela broke down and the Doctor rushed to her side and took her shoulders in his hands.

'Angela, look at me. Angela? Angela? Answer me one question Angela.' She continued sobbing, and the Doctor kept rambling, trying to distract her. 'That's it, at me, look at me. There we go. Angela, just answer me one thing.' Angela's blue eyes were trained on the Doctor's big brown ones. 'When you got on this bus, where were you going?

'Just home.'

'And what's home?' asked the Doctor, still trying to distract her.

'Me, and Mike, and Suzanne, that's my daughter. She's eighteen.'

'Suzanne, that's good.' Seeing that she was about to break down again, the Doctor leaned back into the seat across the aisle and asked everyone else the same question. All of them replied something similar. Well, all of them except for Christina.

I was going… So far away,' was all she said. And after a long winded speech, the Doctor promised he would get them all home. The first step was to try and get the bus out of the sand. To the Doctor's surprise, Christina pulled a small shovel out of her bag to dig the bus out, then an axe to get the seats out. Angela, who had recovered her sanity, was trying to start the bus, but with no results. After a quick check under the bonnet confirmed that sand had clogged up all the working parts of the motor and Christina got Barclay to fix the air filter, then followed the Doctor out into the desert. As they walked, the Doctor worked to try and figure out who Christina was, but to no avail.

'_Rose'd know_,' he thought to himself, '_so would Martha, or Jack. Hell, I think even Donna would piece it together. So why can't I get it?_'He was shaken out of his head by Christina asking about the 'wormhole' so to speak.

'I don't know what brought us here, but every single instinct of mine is telling me to get off this planet right now.'

'Christina de Souza,' Christina said abruptly, holding her hand out to shake the Doctor's. 'To be precise, _Lady_ Christina de Souza,' she elaborated as the Doctor complied and shook her hand.

'That's handy, 'cause I'm a lord.'

'Seriously? The lord of where?' Christina asked curiously.

'Oh, it's quite a big estate.'

'But there's something more about you. That device you were carrying, and the wormhole. Like you knew. And the way you stride around this place, like… Like you're not quite…' she trailed off and looked deep into the Doctor's eyes.

'Anyway, come on!' he announced hastily and continued walking. 'Allons-y!'

'Oui,' exclaimed Christina, 'mais pas si nous allons vers un cauchemar.' The Doctor's eyes lit up.

'Oh! We were made for each other,' he said excitedly, '_now, change your hair colour to blonde and call yourself Rose,_' he thought. He couldn't stay in thoughts for long, however, because Christina spotted what appeared to be a sandstorm on the horizon.

'Who said it's sand?' asked the Doctor rhetorically, and they raced back to the bus, herding everyone inside. He commandeered the use of someone's mobile and, after a tune up and a wrong number, managed to get through to UNIT. He was put through to Captain Erisa Magambo, and explained his situation. She passed him on to Dr. Malcolm Taylor, who she called a genius. The Doctor snorted.

'We'll see about that.' Dr. Malcolm and the Captain began to praise him highly, and the Doctor suddenly wished he didn't have the mobile on speaker phone.

'I can hear everything you're saying,' he informed them somewhat sullenly. Malcolm gasped and snatched the phone from the Captain.

'Hello, Doctor. Oh my goodness!'

'Yes, I am. Hello Malcolm!' Malcolm laughed and let out a long breath.

'The Doctor! Cor blimey! I can't believe I'm actually speaking to you! I mean, I've read all the files!' Throughout this outburst, the Doctor was a bit apprehensive, but as he realised that Malcolm was just excited to talk to him, he relaxed and smiled.

'Really? What was your favorite? The giant robot? No, no, hold on, let's sort out that wormhole.' Malcolm then went on to describe an extremely intricate concept that he had named after himself, which the Doctor patiently sat through.

'Right, fine, but before I die of old age, which in my case would be quite an achievement, so congratulations on that, is there anyone else I can talk to?' Malcolm then explained that he discovered a way to measure the wormhole, and the Doctor told them to call him back when they had done it.

'Oh, and Malcolm,' the Doctor added, 'you're my new best friend.'

'And you're mine too, sir.'

The Doctor ran off the bus again, in the direction of the storm, with Christina on his heels. He sent a picture of the storm to Malcolm to analyse, then Christina pointed out something that the Doctor had missed. Something quite important, actually.

'There's something in those clouds. Something shining, look.'

'Like metal,' he confirmed.

'Why would there be metal in a storm?' As Christina said it, Carmen's head snapped up at the bottom of the dune, and she began shivering.

'So fast, and strong, they ride the storm. They _are_ the storm.'

'What are they?' Lou asked desperately.

'They devour,' she replied, not quite answering the question.

At this point, Christina noticed a sort of fly-like creature standing on top of a dune, and the Doctor whipped around to face it. Making a few strange noises with his mouth, he told the creature to wait, then continued to have a conversation with it. Apparently, he was begging for mercy, which may not have worked, as the creature gestured forward with his gun, and Christina didn't need to speak the language to know what that meant. They were shepherded to a wrecked ship, where the Doctor proceeded to admire the good design of the ship. The Doctor explained that the flies had a communicator device and they could understand English, but Christina protested that she still couldn't understand.

'That's what I said, they can understand us. Doesn't work the other way round.' The Doctor continued to translate the Tritovores, that's what they were called, and these Tritovores believed that the humans committed an act of violence against them, and they would be punished for their crimes. The Doctor suddenly realised that the Tritovores had misunderstood the situation and quickly set them straight.

The group sent out a probe into the storm, and discovered that it wasn't a storm. It was a swarm. A swarm of thousands of sting rays with a metal exoskeleton that created the wormhole by flying round and round the planet at an alarming rate of speed. They destroyed the cities, and turned the people to sand. The Doctor and Christina were led through the ship to its power source, a giant hole leading down to a crystal set in a metal plate. Christina leapt into the pit, and as she descended, the Doctor told her about the TARDIS.

'It travels in more than space. It can journey through time, Christina. Oh, the places I've been. World War I. The creation of the universe. The end of the universe.' He managed to keep his voice light for the latter, remembering the year that never was. 'The war between China and Japan,' he continued, pulling open Christina's bag slightly to reveal a gold goblet. 'And the court of King Athelstan in 924 AD.' The Doctor finally pieced it together in his head.

'_She's a thief,_' he thought, '_that's why she has all those things, that's why she's running away. Oh, Christina, we could have been so great.'_

'But I don't remember you being there,' the Doctor managed to continues his previous thought. 'So what are you doing with this?'

'Excuse me,' Christina's voice came over the comm. 'A gentleman never goes through a lady's possessions.'

'_She knows. She knows she has it.'_ The Doctor was interrupted by one of the Tritovores asking about the goblet. He explained that it was given to the first king of Britain as a coronation gift from Hywel, King of the Welsh.

'Which makes you, Lady Christina, a thief,' he accused over the comm.

'I like to think I liberated it,' she defended.

'_Doesn't matter what you call it, you're still a thief,_' the Doctor thought, a bit hypocritically. How many things had he stolen in his years of travel? 'Don't tell me you need the money,' he said out loud.

'Daddy lost everything,' she replied,' he invested his fortune in the Icelandic banks.'

'No, no, no, if you're short of cash, you rob a bank. Stealing this, it's like a lifestyle.'

'I take it you disapprove,' she assumed.

'Absolutely,' the Doctor reprimanded, the realised what he had done. 'Except… That little blue box. I stole it. From my own people.'

'Good boy,' Christina said condescendingly, 'you were right, we're quite a team.' Their conversation was cut short by a screech coming from the depths of the ship. Christina grabbed the crystal and the Doctor brought her back up, with a metal ray just behind her. She activated the security grid, trapping it down there, and they ran back to the control room, inviting the Tritovores to come with them. However, the flies refused to abandon their ship. A ray came crashing down and devoured the Tritovores, forcing the pair to run back to the bus. On the way back, Malcolm called the Doctor.

'Uh, Doctor,' he started, but the Doctor cut him off.

'Not now Malcolm,' he yelled into the mobile, and hung up. They made it back to the bus and the Doctor examined their treasure.

'Now then, let's have a look.'

'So what does that crystal do?' Christina asked.

'Oh, nothing,' the Doctor replied, 'don't need the crystal.' He chucked it on the ground to a scoff from Christina.

'I risked my life for that,' she protested.

'No, you risked your life for these,' the Doctor corrected, holding up the clamps. He placed them around the wheels of the bus and raced into the driver's seat, asking for a hammer. He got Christina to call Malcolm, and started working on the plate. Christina held the phone up to his ear just as Malcolm picked up.

'Malcolm, it's me,' he greeted hastily.

'I'm ready!' Malcolm screamed into the phone.

'For what?'

'I don't know, you tell me!' The Doctor rolled his eyes.

'I'm going to try and get back, but listen, there might be something following us. You need to find a way to close the wormhole.'

'Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on a counter-oscillation, perchance?' Malcolm asked casually. The Doctor grinned.

'Oh Malcolm, you're brilliant!'

'Coming from you, sir, that means the world.' The Captain pointed out that the wormhole was ten miles and counting, and she needed to know the nature of the threat. The Doctor froze.

'Sorry, gotta go.' He motioned for Christina to hang up. He finished attaching the plate to the steering wheel and tried to turn it, as it began sparking.

'Oh, it's not compatible,' he growled,' Bus, spaceship, spaceship, bus. I need to weld the two systems together. I need something non-corrosive, something malleable, something ductile, something…' he trailed off and looked at Christina. 'Gold.' She shook her head.

'Oh, no, you don't.' Barclay came up to the front holding his watch.

'Hey, use this!'

I said gold,' the Doctor repeated.

'It is gold,' Barclay argued.

'Oh, they saw you coming,' the Doctor muttered, 'Christina!' She looked down at the goblet in her bag and pulled it out.

'It's over a thousand years old. Worth eighteen million pounds. Promise me you'll be careful.'

'I promise,' the Doctor lied. He flipped it over and began hammering it onto the plate.

'I hate you,' Christina muttered.

'This is your driver speaking, hold on tight!' he called, ignoring the withering glare Christina was giving him. He managed to get the bus into the air using the anti-gravity clamps he put on the wheels. Turning the bus so it was facing the wormhole, he punched the accelerator and the bus shot through. They appeared right where they had vanished, followed by only three of the rays. The rays were shot down, and Malcolm closed the wormhole.

'Did I say I hated you?' Christina asked, 'I was lying. She grabbed his lapel and dragged his mouth onto hers. The Doctor was frozen in shock, but found himself kissing her back. She pulled away and he looked at her inquiringly. When he realised he wouldn't get an explanation out of her, he turned his attention toward the passengers and landed the bus, which is not something that one has the opportunity to say very often. The Doctor opened the doors with his sonic and his passengers were escorted away by UNIT.

'Welcome back, everyone,' a soldier from UNIT stepped forward, 'if you could just step away from the bus, just to be safe. As fast as you can, thank you. It's standard procedure, we need to screen you and then you'll all be taken for debriefing.' The Doctor pulled on his coat and jumped off the bus.

'I don't count,' he said abruptly, holding up his psychic paper. Christina started after him, but the UNIT soldier held her back. The Doctor walked toward the Captain and Malcolm rushed toward him.

'Doctor!' The Doctor grinned.

'You must be Malcolm.'

'Oh! Oh, I love you,' he blurted and grabbed the Doctor into a hug. 'I love you. I love you.'

'To your station, Dr. Taylor.' The Captain stepped in and verbally separated the Doctor and his captor. He turned back toward the Doctor and pointed at him.

'I love you!' The Doctor grinned again and pointed back. He explained to the Captain about the rays, and recommended Nathan and Barclay to her, then she returned his TARDIS to him, with Jack still inside. Christina ran to the Doctor's side, and invited herself along.

'Come on, Doctor, show me the stars.'

'No.'

'What?'

'I said no.' Christina frowned.

'But I saved your life! And you saved mine.' The Doctor retained his stony exterior.

'So?'

'We're surrounded by police, I'll go to prison!'

'Yeah.' Even the Doctor was taken aback by how uncaring he sounded.

'But you were right, it's not about the money, I only steal things for the adventure, and today, with you… I want more days like this. I want every day to be like this. We're made for each other, you said so yourself. The perfect team.' The Doctor remained expressionless. They weren't made for each other. They weren't the perfect team. Him and Rose, now they were the perfect team. What had he done? As much as it was against the laws of the Time Lords, he loved her, and he sealed her away. He said that people travelled with him and he lost them, and that's why he couldn't take her, but the truth was, he would just rather be on his own. Christina was arrested, and the Doctor stuck around long enough to free her from her handcuffs, and watched her race onto the bus. The Detective Inspector was furious.

'I'm charging you too! Aiding and abetting.' The Doctor nodded.

'Yes, I'll just step inside this police box and arrest myself.' He walked back to the TARDIS and watched Christina raise the bus and fly over to him.

'We could have been so good together,' she called to him.

'Christina,' he called back, 'We were!' She closed the doors and flew off, to cheers from the passengers of the bus and the entire UNIT team. The Doctor unlocked the doors of the TARDIS and stepped inside. He turned around to see Jack standing by the console with a furious look on his face. Under that fury, though, the Doctor could see that he had been worried sick.

'Doctor, what the hell happened out there? Do you know what happened here, while you were off getting killed? I was going through your cupboards looking for anything to eat, and the TARDIS lurched, sending me and about a dozen bananas to the floor. And what's with all the bananas? Anyway, the TARDIS gets brought here, and I poke my head out, only to be attacked by UNIT thugs demanding to know how I got into the TARDIS. Thankfully they lightened up once I told them I was with Torchwood, and they told me what was going on. You know I'm rubbish when I'm not with the aliens in question, so I went back into the TARDIS and waited for you.' Jack took a long, shuddering breath. 'Now, let's hear your side.'

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**Wow! It's long! Just over eight pages in Word!**


	5. Chapter 5

******This is what, the third new chapter in two days? Unreal! I wouldn't get used to this kind of treatment and attention though. I might have to put this on a back burner while I focus on real life things. Lame. I'll try my best to keep with it though. Now, if you've added this story onto your list of alerts and you've figured out why you have an email, congratulations! Yes, I edit chapters once they're already up! Can't help it, I'm an author. If I ever got anything published, I would probably be editing it while it's being printed.**

***EDITS* An extra moment between... Uh... Two people that won't be mentioned for the sake of the chapter, but it's right before one of them... Goes. Away. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've read it already.**

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Chapter 5

Jack had mostly forgiven the Doctor after he heard his side of the story. However, he stopped off at Torchwood to check on his team, to make sure they weren't ordering pizza under the name 'Torchwood' again, or doing some other equally stupid thing. The Doctor sent the TARDIS into the vortex, intending to pick Jack up again when he was ready. As he floated around the vortex, he thought about Rose, and if she thought he abandoned her. The Doctor sank down onto the jump seat, lost in his thoughts, so he didn't notice two people materialise on the opposite side of the console room.

'Oh my God, we made it,' sobbed a familiar voice, 'we finally made it.' The woman pulled the tall man into a tight hug. 'Thank you, thank you so much.' At hearing this voice, the Doctor's head snapped up and he leapt out of the jump seat. He stared across the room at the all too familiar blonde and found himself speechless.

'It's you,' she breathed. She had tears running down her face, and her mascara was smudged, but to him, she had never looked more beautiful. 'I never thought I'd see you again.' At this point, the Doctor found his feet and raced toward her, crushing her against his chest as she cried into his shirt. They stayed in their tight embrace for minutes, just holding each other, afraid to let go. The Doctor's tears finally overflowed, falling onto Rose's hair, which made her start and pull away slightly.

'Why are you crying?' She wiped away her own tears, then brushed away the ones on the Doctor's face. He smiled down at her and shushed her.

'No talking,' he reprimanded weakly, and bent down and kissed her deeply. She flung her arms around his neck, burying her hands in his flawless hair. A thought occurred to the Doctor, but he pushed it away, making a mental note to ask later. He regretfully tore his lips off hers and looked her straight in the eyes.

'Two years ago, Bad Wolf Bay. You said you loved me. I said "Rose Tyler."' He rested his forehead against hers, their lips mere centimeters apart. 'I never got to say what I was thinking, my Rose. I love you. I always have, I always will.' At that point, he lost all his self-control and crashed his lips on top of hers again, desperately memorising her taste, her smell, and the feel of her in his arms. After a couple of moments, the other person who was teleported in cleared his throat. The Doctor and Rose froze and slowly turned around to see the other man standing awkwardly by the door in the console room. Rose pulled away from the Doctor, though she didn't release his hand for fear of disappearing. And if the Doctor was being honest, he was afraid of the exact same thing.

'Doctor, I think you'll recognise yourself, yeah?' The Doctor nodded weakly.

'How? How could you have crossed the Void again?' The Metacrisis shrugged.

'The dimension cannons. Something is coming, Doctor. Something that has worn down the walls of the universe and time itself. It cannot be stopped.' The Doctor frowned slightly, and Rose picked up where the Metacrisis left off.

'As weeks went by, we found that this Doctor's memory was deteriorating. All of the wonderful things you've seen, all the memories of me, they were fading from him, and we couldn't do anything to stop it. We think that he'll just be a normal human soon. So, before his memory went completely, he fixed up the dimension cannons, and we ended up here, with the plan that he would return to-'

'1913,' the Time Lord finished. 'Taking him back to Joan Redfern. That's brilliant. Soon he'll just be John Smith, with all the same memories I had during my time as a human. Are you sure about this?'

'Absolutely,' the Metacrisis replied. 'This is the right thing to do for John Smith. Joan loved him, and now he can finally reciprocate that love.' The Doctor nodded slightly and set the coordinates for 1913. Upon arriving, young Timothy Latimer was just walking down the hill on which the Doctor had parked the TARDIS when leaving for the first time.

'Tim, Timothy, Tim!' the Doctor called to him. Timothy whipped around to face them and a grin broke out on his face.

'It's you! It's really- Wait. I just saw you leave. You were wearing a different shirt. And tie. There's no way you had enough time to change. And where's Martha?' He finally noticed Rose and the Doctor's hand entwined and raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but said no more. He led the trio down to the village after a bit of gaping at the Metacrisis and Time Lord side by side. The Metacrisis spotted Joan walking back to the school and before he raced off to meet her, he turned to Rose.

'I just want you to know how much I love you, okay?' He saw tears glistening in her eyes and pulled her close. She leaned into him, breathing in the scent that wasn't quite the Doctor as the tears spilled over her cheeks.

'I'm so sorry, Doctor,' she started to apologise, but he cut her off lovingly.

'Don't be. Soon I'll be John Smith, not remembering anything of my travels, loving Joan Redfern and living out the life I never thought I could.' He tilted Rose's head up and looked into her eyes. 'And anyway, you'll be fine, you've got Mr. Time Lord over there, and he loves you more than I ever could. He's got two hearts, you see.' Rose laughed shakily and smiled through her tears.

'I love you,' she whispered in his ear, and kissed him on the cheek. The Metacrisis gave her a final squeeze and kissed the top of her head before pulling away and starting down the hill.

'Wait,' Rose called after him, and the Metacrisis turned back. 'Am I ever gonna see you again?'

'You can't,' he answered, breaking his own heart and smiled. 'But like I said, you'll be okay.'

'So will you,' Rose said softly, and the Metacrisis, John Smith, turned back around and jogged up to Nurse Redfern as the true Doctor took Rose back into his arms, and they watched the pair.

After some arguing, the Metacrisis took Joan in his arms and held her as she cried for joy or sorrow, the Doctor couldn't tell. He glanced back toward the pair with three hearts and nodded. They turned back toward the TARDIS and the Doctor tugged Rose inside.

'We've got to make a quick stop before going on any adventures. I kind of made a promise to someone.' He set the coordinates for Cardiff and gave Rose a nudge toward the doors. 'Go and see.' Rose peeked out the door and, seeing Cardiff on the other side, flung the door wide open. She dropped the Doctor's hand and raced toward Jack, tackling him in a huge hug. Jack laughed out loud and pulled her closer.

'Uh, Doc? Who did you pick up? I didn't get a chance to see her face.' He pulled away slightly to see Rose's beaming face looking back at him. He gasped.

'_Rosie_!' He pulled her back to him and swung her around in a circle. 'I thought you were in Pete's world!'

'Long story,' she and the Doctor said at the same time. Jack laughed again, and squeezed Rose before letting her go. The Doctor instantly had his arms around her waist, and he growled somewhat possessively. Rose grinned at Jack, her tongue poking between her teeth, just like it always had, and pulled him into the TARDIS. She and the Doctor settled onto the jump seat, and Jack leaned against the console. Rose leaned into the Doctor at the same instant he put his arm around her shoulders, and Jack winced.

'Can we possibly save the… Canoodling for when I'm not around? It's not exactly… Appealing.' Rose and the Doctor were stunned into silence, then burst into laughter.

'J-Jack,' the Doctor managed to stammer out, 'you're the epitome of sexual deviance. Surely a human and a Time Lord together isn't that bad.' Jack huffed and headed for the kitchen.

'Well, _I'm_ going for a cup of tea. You can join me or not, your choice.' The pair of travellers looked at each other, then looked at Jack and simultaneously shook their heads.

'You go ahead, Jack, we'll catch up with you later,' Rose encouraged. As soon as he was out of the room, she pounced in the Doctor, knocking them both to the grating.

'Have I ever told you how much I love that hair of yours?' she asked playfully. The Doctor pretended to concentrate.

'You know, I don't think you have. Isn't it brilliant though?' He rolled over and ended up on top of Rose, pinning her to the TARDIS floor. 'I must say, though, my little pink and yellow human doesn't look too bad either.' She pulled him down and he rested his forehead against hers.

'You really know how to flatter, don't you?' He grinned and closed the gap between their lips; neither of them noticing Jack come in, roll his eyes and go back to the kitchen.

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**Finally! Sqeeee!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Can I just say, you people make my day? A special thanks to MayFairy, who has reviewed EVERY time I update! Hooray! Without further ado, Chapter 6!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, because if I did, the fourth Doctor wouldn't have forgotten about Sarah-Jane.**

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Chapter 6

Once the Doctor and Rose had stopped snogging each other senseless, Jack ventured back into the console room.

'So, Doc, where to?'

'Oh, let's say… 18th, no, 19th century? December?' He glanced meaningfully at Rose, who rolled her eyes and went to the wardrobe room to find something more century-appropriate. Jack raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who quickly turned back to the controls.

'Doctor, you're taking her to Christmas Eve? Such a Casanova!' The Doctor yelped and wheeled around to face him.

'Oi! I am no Casanova! I took her to Christmas in Cardiff once, and it kind of got ruined by the Gelth. I'm just making up for that. And I met Casanova. He's such a liar. Owes me money. Of course, I never got it from him.' At this point, Rose emerged from the wardrobe in an a floor length dress, green in color, her hair swept up onto the top of her head, clutching a matching coat and strode over to Jack, just as the TARDIS landed.

'Shall we, then?' She pulled Jack to the door, and poked her head outside. She let go of Jack's arm and opened the door fully, wandering outside. The Doctor leaned against the doorframe after putting on his overcoat and smiled at her wonder. No matter how many times they had done this, she always had this reaction, and he loved her for it. She spun around a few times and lost her balance, toppling into the snow. He nearly ran toward her, but was stopped by her musical laughter as she lay back in the snow. He pushed himself off the frame and walked toward her, plopping himself down beside her.

'So, hopefully no Gelth this time, yeah?' he asked teasingly. She nodded and he pulled her to her feet, not letting go of her hand, and she laced her fingers through his. Jack rolled his eyes and walked out of the TARDIS.

'Let's go, lovebirds, it's Christmas Eve!' He grinned and strode away from them, making them run to catch up. They walked through the bustling streets, being greeted by gentlemen in tall hats, listening watching people shop, and then Rose saw a group of carollers. She stopped to listen with a content smile on her face, and the Doctor came up behind her.

'Jack is gone,' he said softly in her ear, 'he met someone, and is currently making his move.' Rose laughed softly.

'Who's the lucky girl?' she asked, not taking her eyes off the carollers.

'Who said it was a girl?' The Doctor grinned as she finally took her eyes off the singers and turned toward his smiling face.

'I should have known,' she muttered. 'So, what have you been up to?' His smile broadened as he pulled a bit of spice out from behind his back.

'Mistletoe.' Rose laughed again. 'Doesn't have the same effect since Old Queen Vicky, does it?' The Doctor chuckled and threw it behind him, unknowingly hitting a small child with it in the back of the head.

'You're right,' he admitted, 'I didn't actually buy it, I nicked it off that table over there. It was just another excuse to kiss you.' Rose smiled, her tongue poking between her teeth.

'Can't say I argue with that,' she murmured, slipping her arms around his neck. He kissed her quickly, and pulled away, making her squeak in annoyance. 'What was that?'

'Rose, it's the nineteenth century, and we're not married. At least, not in a way that Christians approve of. Being hit with a broom doesn't exactly count here.' Rose growled, but pulled away anyway.

'I suppose it doesn't. By the way, are you _sure_ you got the date right?' The Doctor had a hurt look on his face, but Rose was unrelenting. 'Go and ask someone!' He ran up to a boy of about ten, pulling Rose along with him.

'You there, boy, what day is this?'

'Christmas Eve, sir,' the boy answered politely.

'In what year?'

'Are you thick or something?' the boy retorted, not so politely this time, making Rose burst into laughter.

'Oi! Just answer the question!' The Doctor's pride was slightly hurt, and he still hadn't gotten his answer. The boy sighed.

'Year of our Lord, 1851, sir.' The Doctor smiled.

'Right. Nice year. A bit dull,' he said, mostly to himself. As he said it, however, a woman's voice carried through the crowd.

'_Doctor!'_ The Doctor looked round for a doctor, then, finding none, looked at himself.

'Who, me?'

'Yeah, I think she means you,' Rose shouted, and they took off running toward the voice. As they neared the woman, Rose dropped the Doctor's hand so he could investigate, and she ran to the woman.

'Don't worry, stand back, the Doctor will sort it,' she said in a rush, pulling the woman back with her. The doors to the building were rattling, and the Doctor took a closer look.

'What have we got here, then?' The doors shook tremendously. 'Ooh, okay, I've got it. And whatever's behind that door, I think you should get out of here,' he said to the woman.

'_Doctor!_' she screamed again. Rose frowned.

'What are you doing that for? He's right here.' She pointed to the Doctor.

'Hello,' he replied.

'Don't be stupid. Who are you?' The woman asked.

'I'm the Doctor,' he insisted.

'Doctor who?' she asked again.

'Just the Doctor.'

'Well, there can't be two of you!' she looked to her left and the Doctor saw a man running toward the trio. 'Where the hell have you been?' The man finally reached them, and faced the door.

'Right then, don't worry! Stand back. What have we got here, then?'

'Hold on,' protested the Doctor, 'who are you?' The man turned to face the Doctor with a brilliant smile.

'I'm the Doctor. Simply the Doctor. The one, the only, and the best.' Rose burst into laughter, and they turned to face her, and she turned the laughter into a coughing fit, still smiling. 'Rosita, give me the sonic screwdriver!'

'Ros_ita_?' Rose repeated in disbelief.

'Sonic screwdriver?' the Doctor asked at the same time, in the same tone. The potential imposter ignored them.

'Now quickly, get back to the TARDIS.'

'Back to the _what_?' The Doctor was stunned.

'If you could stand back sir, this is a job for a Time Lord!' The pair of time travellers were stunned.

'Job for a _what_ Lord?' the Doctor sputtered. The doors to the building flew open and a creature with a face resembling a Cyberman stared back at them.

'Oh,' said the Doctor, 'that's different,'

'Oh, that's new,' said the potential imposter (who will now be referred to as PI), at the same time. The true Doctor whipped out his sonic and they both pointed their version of it at the creature.

'Allons-y!' they chorused, then the PI pushed the Doctor out of the way.

'I've been hunting this beast for a good fortnight, now step back, sir.' he announced. Rose and the Doctor shared a look.

'_Fortnight_?' Rose mouthed, and the Doctor shrugged. The 'beast' leaped onto the side of the building. The Doctor ran forward and examined it as best he could.

'Some sort of primitive conversion, like they took the brain of a cat, or a dog,' he mused. The PI ran forward.

'Well, talking's all very well. Rosita!' he shouted at the same time the Doctor called Rose's name. Rosita rushed forward with a length of rope as Rose stepped forward and took the Doctor's hand.

'I'm ready,' Rosita said, and handed the rope to the PI.

'Now, watch and learn,' the PI instructed, and he swung the rope like a lasso and threw it over the cat/dog robot. 'Excellent! Now then, let's pull this timorous beastie down to Earth!' He gave the rope a mighty tug, but the timorous beastie wasn't bothered, and continued scaling the wall. The Doctor grabbed a hold of the rope, and when that wasn't enough, Rose pulled on it as well. Even with the added weight of two people, the creature managed to get inside the building and yanked them through with it. They were dragged across the floor and the creature jumped out the window. In a moment of sheer panic, Rose let go of the rope, but the Doctor and the PI had their hands wrapped in it. Standing at the window, Rosita severed the rope with a small axe, and the PI and the Doctor rolled across the floor.

The three of them lurched to their feet, and Rose ripped the skirt off her dress, revealing jeans and trainers underneath, the bodice acting like just a pretty shirt. The Doctor raised an eyebrow, and she laughed.

'I didn't think it would be appropriate for running, and, knowing you, I would have to be prepared.' The Doctor pulled her into his arms. The PI seemed to notice her for the first time.

'Rose,' he breathed, 'it's you.' She pulled away from the Doctor and took a small step toward the PI.

'How do you know my name?' she asked softly. The Doctor tensed, ready to pull her away from the PI at any moment.

'Rose, it's me, it's the Doctor,' he insisted. Rose shook her head.

'No, no, no. You're wrong. Because I know my Doctor, and you're not him.' The PI shouted in exasperation and took her hand.

'I love you. I always have, I always will.' He drew her close to him and kissed her. The second his lips touched hers, she knew he was a fraud, as his lips tasted like pears. She shoved him away and backed toward the true Doctor. He circled his arms around her waist and pulled her back further, growling slightly and glaring at the PI.

'You are so close to being thrown out the window. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I know Rose would never let me do it. Now. Who are you?' Rose looked up at him.

'Doctor, he tasted like pears,' she whispered. His eyes grew cold, and he looked back at the PI, who was backing toward Rosita.

'I'm the Doctor,' insisted the PI, 'who are you?'

'You really don't recognise me?' he asked.

'I've never seen you before in my life,' replied the PI. The Doctor turned and stalked toward the stairs, Rose in tow, and the PI and Rosita following close behind. Once they got to the bottom, the PI reached out and spun the Doctor around.

'Now, might I ask, who are you exactly?'

'No, I'm… I'm just… Smith, John Smith,' he replied, 'but I've heard all about you, Doctor. Bit of a legend, if I say so myself.' Rose snorted, and the Doctor glanced down at her. She looked up at him with questioning eyes, and he made a mental note to explain his sudden change of heart later.

'Modesty forbids me to agree with you sir. But yes. Yes I am.' The PI brought their attention back to him, and Rose sighed.

'A legend with certain memories missing, yeah?' Rose guessed. The Doctor's eyes lit up.

'Oh, good for you, Rose! I was just about to suggest the same thing!' The PI looked up with questioning eyes.

'How do you know that?' he asked Rose.

'You've forgotten him, but you remember me. They kind of go hand in hand,' she told him, absent-mindedly reaching for the Doctor's hand. The PI sighed.

'Great swathes of my life have been stolen away. When I turn my mind to the past… There's nothing. Except for you. You, on a beach, telling me you loved me. What has changed?' He stepped forward, and Rose shrank into the Doctor's side. 'I remember nothing since…' He trailed off.

'Since what?' Rose prodded gently. The PI took a deep breath.

'Since the Cybermen. Masters of that hellish wall-scuttler, and now old enemies of mine, now at work in London Town.' He turned his attention to the Doctor. 'You won't believe this, Mr. Smith, but they are creatures from another world.' He finished dramatically.

'Really?' the Doctor asked, slightly patronisingly, 'Wow.' Rose elbowed him warningly.

'It is said they fell onto London,' the PI said to Rose, 'out of the sky in a blaze of light. And they found me. Something was taken. And something was lost.' Rose and the Doctor nodded sympathetically.

'It's strange, Mr. Smith,' he mused. 'All this talk of Cybermen from the stars, and you don't blink.' The Doctor's face lit up.

'Ah, don't blink, remember that? Whatever you do, don't blink? The blinking, and the statues, with Sally and the angels?' His face fell. 'No?' he asked sadly. Rose squeezed his had reassuringly and smiled up at him. The PI then shouted something about a funeral, and began to rush off. He spun around.

'Merry Christmas, Mr. Smith.'

'Merry Christmas, Doctor,' the Doctor replied. As soon as the PI was out of eyeshot, the Doctor started running, pulling Rose behind him. They stood at a distance, watching and listening to the PI, who planned to infiltrate the newly deceased man's house. As he mentioned 'women's work,' Rose muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'arrogant bastard,' but the Doctor let it go, the side of his mouth quirking up in amusement. They followed the PI in stealth, entering the house through the front door, which the Doctor opened with his trusty sonic screwdriver. They raced to the back of the house, where the PI was trying to break in through the back door. Rose flung the door opened and grinned cheekily.

'Hello,' she greeted brightly, trying to smother her laughter at the PI's confusion.

'But… How did you get in?'

'Oh, through the front door,' the Doctor answered brightly.

'He's very good with doors,' his companion answered. The Doctor smiled and waved.

'Um, do you mind me asking… Is that your sonic screwdriver?' The PI nodded.

'Yes, it is. I'd be lost without it.'

'But that's just a screwdriver,' Rose argued, 'how is it sonic?'

'Well, uh, it makes a noise.' The PI stepped toward the frame and rapped the 'sonic' screwdriver against it. 'That's sonic, isn't it? Now, since we're acting like burglars, I suggest we get out of plain view.' He pushed past them into the house. Rose stepped in front of him and put a hand out.

'Wait, Doctor,' she said to the PI, holding her hand up, 'do you mind if I…' When he nodded, Rose took another step toward him and, without breaking eye contact, put her hand against his chest. She moved it to the other side, and, when there was only one heartbeat, she dropped her eyes and backed away. The PI looked at her questioningly, but said nothing. The trio walked quickly through the house into what appeared to be a study, and the Doctor asked about the PI's investigation.

'It started with a murder,' he replied, now going through some desk drawers.

'Oh, good,' the Doctor mused, 'I mean, bad,' he corrected when the PI gave him a strange look and Rose elbowed him in the ribs, 'but whose?'

'Mr. Jackson Lake. A teacher of mathematics from Sussex. Came to London three weeks ago, and died a terrible death.'

'The Cybermen,' the Doctor guessed.

'It's hard to say. His body was never found. But then it started. More secret murders, then abductions. Children… Stolen away in silence.' The Doctor started to reply, but Rose interrupted.

'Hang on, if they never found this Jackson Lake's body, how do they know he died? Did he have any family?'

'_Ooh, good one Rose,'_ the Doctor thought.

'His wife was found in the house. Murdered.' The Doctor nodded sympathetically.

'So, whose house is this?'

'The latest murder. The Reverend Aubrey Fairchild. Found with burns to his forehead, like some advanced form of electrocution.'

'But who was he?' the Doctor asked, 'was he important?' Even though Rose knew he was only trying to figure out who the Cybermen were targeting, she was a little taken aback by his apathetic tone. The PI narrowed his eyes.

'You ask a lot of questions,' he said suspiciously.

'I'm your companion!'

'The Reverend was the pillar of the community. A member of many parish boards. A keen advocate of children's charities.'

'Hmm, children again,' the Doctor thought out loud, 'but why would the Cybermen want him dead?'

'And what's his connection to the first death, this Jackson Lake?' Rose added. The PI narrowed his eyes again and stepped closer to the Doctor. Even with his tall six foot frame, the Doctor was slightly dwarfed by the PI.

'It's strange… I feel like I know you, but how?' the Pi asked, mostly to himself.

'I can't help noticing you're wearing a fob watch,' the Doctor pointed out. Rose gasped.

'That could explain why you only have one heart!' The Doctor flipped it opened and nearly shouted in exasperation. Nothing had happened. The travellers continued to search the room for alien infiltration. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and passed it around the room, searching for anomalies, something different, something metal.

'Shh,' the PI shushed everyone, and the Doctor flipped the sonic, putting back into his pocket. 'What's that noise?'

'Oh, uh, it's just me,' the Doctor tried feebly, 'whistling.' He let out an impeccable note, and the PI rolled his eyes. 'I wonder what's in here, though,' the Doctor tried again, pointing to a different desk. Rose came to his side and pushed open the cover. Inside, they found small metal cylinders, which the Doctor was interested in.

'Ah, metal and different, you were right. They are info stamps,' he announced, and then winced at his obviousness. 'I mean, at a guess. If I were you, I'd say they worked something like this.' He hit a button on the end and a hologram image was projected onto the wall. The PI picked up another one and gasped, his eyes glazing over. Rose ran forward and caught him as he sank down to the floor, not letting go of his arm once he was safely down.

'I've seen one of these before,' he said hollowly, 'I was holding this device on the night I regenerated.' The Doctor glanced at Rose, who was staring at him with fear in his eyes. She had come so far to get back to him, was it all for nothing? 'The Cybermen, they made me change,' the PI continued, 'and you were there,' he placed a hand on the Doctor's face, setting his glasses slightly askew. 'Who are you?'

'A friend,' the Doctor said simply, 'I swear.

'Then I beg you John,' the PI pleaded, his voice breaking, 'help me.'

'Ah.' Rose's eyes cut to the Doctor, thinking he was going to turn down the PI. 'Two words I never refuse. But it's not a conversation for a dead man's house. We need to get back to the TARDIS.' Rose raised her eyebrows at his mistake and he corrected himself. 'Your, uh, TARDIS. Hold on, I just need to do a little final check.' He raced to a closet and flung open the door, revealing a Cyberman.

'Okay, he said calmly, shutting the door again, 'I think we should run.' The Cyberman broke down the door with ease, and the Doctor, Rose and the PI fled the room, only to be surrounded by the stairs. Rose ushered the PI up them, and the Doctor fumbled around for something to defend them. After picking up an umbrella and throwing it aside, he drew a sword off the wall. Despite herself, Rose snickered. 'Aha,' the Doctor said, half crazed, 'I'm a dab hand with a cutlass. You don't want to come near me when I've got one of these. This is your last warning.' Rose managed to push her laughter down and pulled the PI further up the stairs, ignoring his protests.

'We have to help him,' he argued.

'Trust me, he'll be fine. That man can talk his way out of anything.' The Cybermen continued to close in. 'No? Okay, this is really your last warning,' the Doctor insisted, then started to climb the stairs. 'Okay, I give up!' He flew up the stairs, bargaining with the Cybermen while defending with the sword.

'Listen to me, you need me! I'm the Doctor, check your memory banks!' The Cybermen continued to attack.

'_Delete_.'

'My name is the Doctor, Leave this man alone!' Still the Cybermen ascended the stairs, the Doctor arguing with them the whole way. The PI looked at the info stamp in his hand and the end flipped open. He pointed it at the Cybermen and a jet of electricity shot out, engulfing the heads of the robots, causing them to explode, and their bodies hit the floor with a deafening thump.

'I did that last time,' the PI murmured.

'Come here, you'll be okay.' Rose walked toward him and started to wrap her arms around him, but he shrugged her away.

'You're trying to take away everything I've got. Like they did.'

'We'll find out what they did to you,' the Doctor promised. They exited the house and the PI led them to an old barn, which Rosita ran out of, and enveloped him in a hug.

'You were right, Rosita,' he admitted as they walked into the barn, 'the Reverend Fairchild's death was the work of the Cybermen.' The Doctor asked about the TARDIS, and the PI directed him to the yard. On the way out, Rose stumbled over a suitcase, nearly falling on her face if the Doctor hadn't rushed to her side and caught her.

'Hello,' she said softly. He grinned.

'Hello,' he replied, and pulled her into a proper hug. He let her go, then turned to the PI. 'What's all this, then?' He gestured to the luggage.

'Evidence,' the PI supplied, 'the property of Jackson Lake, the first man to be murdered.' The Doctor abandoned all thoughts of the TARDIS and scanned the room with the sonic screwdriver.

'Are you whistling again?' Rose and the Doctor whipped around, and Rose took the sonic out of the Doctor's hand, hiding it behind her back, but not before Rosita saw it.

'Yes. Yes, I am. Yeah. Yeah.' Rose hid a smile and motioned for Rosita to keep quiet about what she had seen. The Doctor started to go through the luggage, to an indignant squawk from Rosita.

'That's another man's property!'

'Well,' the Doctor corrected, 'a dead man's.' Rose glanced at Rosita and both women shook their heads and laughed. Rosita told her that she met the 'Doctor' when he saved her life from a Cyberman, and she had stuck with him ever since.

'I know what you mean,' Rose agreed, 'it was plastic for me.'

'Can you help him?' Rosita asked suddenly, glancing at the PI with concern in her eyes, 'he has such terrible dreams. Wakes at night, in such as state of terror.' Rose was about to comfort her when the PI stood up.

'Come now, Rosita, with everything a Time Lord has seen, it's to be expected.' Rose glanced at the Doctor with sadness in her eyes, and he nodded.

'Yeah, he agreed quietly, then distracted himself with the suitcase. 'Oh, look!' He held up a now familiar looking cylinder. 'Jackson Lake had an info stamp. Doctor, the answer to all this is in your TARDIS. Could I see it?' The PI grinned and led them to the yard, which housed a large hot air balloon. Rose quirked an eyebrow and shot the Doctor a sideways glance.

'You've got a balloon,' he muttered. The PI's smile broadened.

'It's the TARDIS. That's T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style. Do you see?' The Doctor's mouth opened and closed as he tugged at his ear. Rose's mouth was hanging open and she blinked a few times.

'Well, uh, I do now,' the Doctor answered once he found his voice. 'I like it. Good TARDIS!' The PI paid a young man named Jed for his troubles and the Doctor frowned at the amount of money he had.

'You get nothing for nothing,' the PI had said. Jed commented that this night may be the night that the TARDIS might fly, but the PI disagreed.

'One day I will go up,' he mused. Rose frowned.

'You've never actually been up?' The PI averted his eyes and Rosita answered for him.

'He dreams of leaving, but he never does.' The PI muttered something about leaving when London was safe.

'The perfect escape,' The Doctor said quietly. 'Do you want me to tell you what you're escaping from? 'Cause I think I've worked it out now. How you became the Doctor. Do you want to know?' The PI nodded, and Rose led him into the barn. She sat him down on an empty crate, then took her place next to the Doctor opposite him.

'A long time away, but not so far from this place, these Cybermen were battled. And they were defeated, locked in a howling wilderness called the Void forevermore.' Rose looked up at him, and he squeezed her hand comfortingly. He went on to explain that some of the Cybermen fell back through time and landed in 1851, and found the PI, who agreed that he fought them before. The Doctor continued, saying that at the same time, Jackson Lake came to town, possibly for the winter season, then he found the Cybermen, and took hold of an info stamp.

'But he's dead,' the PI argued, 'Jackson Lake is dead. The Cybermen murdered him.'

'You said no body was found,' Rose said gently, piecing it together for herself. 'And you kept all his suitcases, but you could never bring yourself to open them.' The Doctor nodded.

'I told you the answer was in the fob watch. Can I see?' he asked. The PI handed the watch to him, and the Doctor flipped it over in his hand, revealing two letters.

'J.L.' Rose breathed, 'the watch is Jackson Lake's.'

'But… I'm the Doctor,' the PI, or Jackson, protested weakly. The Doctor shook his head gently.

'You became the Doctor, because the info stamp you picked up was a book about one particular man.' He flicked the info stamp on, projecting images of his own previous regenerations. Once it got to his current one, Jackson's eyes widened.

'That's you,' he breathed. The Doctor gave him a meaningful look.

'Time Lord, TARDIS, enemy of the Cybermen?' He clicked his tongue. 'The one and the only.' He switched off the info stamp and pulled Rose closer to his side. Jackson buried his face in his hands. Rose started to get up to comfort him, but the Doctor pulled her back down.

'Leave him for now,' he whispered in her ear. 'The info stamp must have backfired,' he explained, 'streamed all that information about me right inside your head.' Jackson leaned forward.

'I am nothing but a lie,' he said dully. Rose grasped his hands.

'No, you're not. You're Jackson bloody Lake, and you are so alive! You were never the Doctor, but all those things you did, building the TARDIS, saving Rosita, that was all you!' The Doctor nodded.

'She's right. The info stamps, they're just facts and figures. All that bravery, defending London town, saving Rosita like Rose said. Hmm? All that adventure, that's all you.'

'And what else?' Jackson asked, his voice low and deadly, 'tell me what else.'

'There's still something missing, isn't there?' The Doctor's eyes were full of sorrow.

'I demand you tell me, sir!' Jackson shouted. 'Tell me what they took!' Rose intervened then, tears making her eyes glassy.

'I'm sorry,' she said quietly, 'I am so sorry. But that's a lot of luggage for one man.' She blinked, the tears in her eyes spilling over her cheeks.

'An info stamp is just technology, not enough to make a man lose his mind. What you suffered is called a fugue,' the Doctor explained, 'a fugue state. When the mind just runs away because it can't bear to look back.'

'You wanted to become someone else,' Rose said, her voice breaking slightly, 'because Jackson Lake had lost so much.' She turned into the Doctor's shoulder, who held her tightly as Jackson began to remember his past.

'I remember,' he whispered, 'oh, my God. Caroline. They killed my wife. They killed her!' He broke down, and Rose pulled away from the Doctor and wrapped her arms around Jackson. This time he didn't push her away, but clung to her, sobbing into her shoulder.

'I'm so sorry,' Jackson,' she murmured, rubbing his back in circles, 'I am so, so sorry.' A shrill beeping sounded out, and the Doctor looked down at the info stamps, now glowing blue. He rushed to the luggage and pulled out a belt lined with them.

'It's the activation. The Cybermen are moving!' He raced out of the barn, and Rose glanced at Rosita, who sat down next to Jackson, pulling him off Rose and into her own arms. Rose streaked after the Doctor, skidding past him at a corner when he stopped abruptly. He caught her arm and pulled her into the shadows as a line of Cybermen walked past. Not long after, a large crowd of children came up, and Rose noticed a tall man with earpieces in his ears.

'Doctor, look, he has the same thing everyone from Pete's world had.' The Doctor ran up to him.

'Can you hear me? Hello? No? Sir, you seem to have something in your ear.' He pulled out the sonic. 'Now, this might hurt a bit.' Before he could deactivate the earpieces, he noticed the cat/dog robot staring at him, and he put away the screwdriver.

'They're on guard, he muttered, 'can't risk a fight, not with the children.'

'Where are they going?' Rose wondered out loud. A man walked by and informed them that there were even more coming down from the Ingleby Workhouse down Broadback Lane. The Doctor's eyes widened.

'Where's that?'

'This way,' Rose said, pulling on his hand. 'I saw it on the way here.' They sprinted down in the direction Rose indicated and skidded to a halt just out of sight. The children were ushered inside by cat/dog robots, and the pair decided to find a different way in. They ran around the corner, and the Doctor stopped in his tracks, Rose barely catching herself in time.

'Whoa, that's cheating,' the Doctor shouted at the two Cybermen standing guard, 'did you have your legs on silent?' A woman dressed in an elaborate red dress stepped between the Cybermen.

'Well, well. What do we have here?' she asked in a nasal tone. The Doctor held his hand out.

'Listen, just come towards me, don't let them touch you.' Rose cleared her throat.

'Doctor, I think she's working with them,' she reasoned. The woman giggled in a piercingly high tone.

'The peasant child is correct. They won't hurt me, my fine boys.' Rose scoffed.

'A peasant child, am I? At least I've got a bit of fashion sense, not dressed in a red monstrosity shaped like a tent.' The Doctor giggled at that, then sobered quickly.

'Listen, I'm the Doctor, and-' he was cut off by a Cyberman insisting that he didn't correspond to their image of the Doctor.

'Yeah, but that's 'cause your database got corrupted. Look, the Doctor's info stamp. Go on, plug it in, download.' The tossed the info stamp to the Cyberman, who glared at it, as best as a Cyberman can glare, anyway.

'The core has been damaged. This info stamp would damage cyberunits.' The Doctor shrugged.

'Ah, well, nice try.' The Cyberman repaired the info stamp, and plugged it into his chest.

'You are the Doctor.' The Doctor waved.

'Hello.'

'You will be deleted.'

'No, no, no, just let me die happy,' he stalled the Cybermen, stepping in front of Rose slightly, 'tell me one thing. What do you need those children for?' The woman's mouth turned into a cruel smile.

'A workforce, of course. Very soon now, the whole empire will see what they're being used for, and they will bow down in worship.'

'And it just happened to fall on Christmas day?' Rose asked sceptically, 'was that your idea, Miss…'

'Hartigan,' Miss Hartigan supplied, 'and yes, the perfect day for a new birth, with a new message to the people.'

'The birth of what?' asked the Doctor suspiciously.

'A birth and a death. Namely yours,' Miss Hartigan answered, 'thank you Doctor. Glad to have been part of your very last conversation. Now, delete them.

'Delete,' the Cyberman said flatly, and marched toward the pair. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and was about to make a break for it when a stream of electricity hit the Cybermen, taking them down to the ground, and revealing Jackson and Rosita standing behind them, Jackson wearing the belt of info stamps.

'_Shades,_' Miss Hartigan screamed, and the cat/dog robots ran out. The four of them began to run off, but Rose dropped the Doctor's hand and ran back. Though she was a bit shorter than Miss Hartigan, she pulled her fist back and punched her square in the jaw.

'That's for calling me a peasant.' She pulled her up, only to punch her again. 'And _that's_ for trying to kill my Doctor. Bitch.' She ran back to the Doctor, and they raced down the streets.

'Can I say, I completely disapprove,' the Doctor shouted as they ran. Rose looked up at him and gave him a winning smile, which he returned whole-heartedly. They ran into a small alcove, where Jackson pulled out the deeds to his house. 15 Latimer Street. Rose quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

'Latimer? The boy in 1913… His last name was Latimer, wasn't it?'

'Mmhmm,' the Doctor confirmed, 'and if Jackson found Cybermen in the basement…'

'There might be a way in,' Jackson finished. 'But there's something else. I remember my wife, but I swear there was something else in that room. If we can find that, it may be the key to defeating these invaders. So onwards.' They started to run toward the property in question, and the Doctor suggested that Rosita find safety. She declined, and the Doctor turned to Rose, who stopped in her tracks. She pulled on the Doctor's arm, stopping him too. He looked at her questioningly, and she pulled his head downwards and caught him in a kiss. Rosita and Jackson turned away, embarrassed, as the Doctor wound his arms around Rose's waist and kissed her back quite eagerly. She laughed against his lips and pushed him away slightly.

'I'm not leaving. Now. Let's go save the world. Again.' The Doctor grinned and took off running, pulling her behind him. The raced into the basement of the house, and Jackson zapped the Cyberman inside. The Doctor dropped Rose's hand and ran forward, to what looked like a miniature Dalek, calling it a dimension vault, saying it was how the Cybermen got through the Void. Rose's eye's widened.

'Is this how I got back? Because I followed this?' The Doctor shook his head.

The Cybermen only needed to get through one side of the Void. You and the Metacrisis had to travel from one universe to another, travelling through the Void to get here, which took more power than this thing generates. Jackson, is this the thing you can't remember?' Jackson shook his head.

'I don't think so. It's like it's hidden.'

'Oh, well, let's go, Avanti!' Rose gave him a look that plainly said, 'avanti?'

'What? Just a change, you don't like Italian?' She rolled her eyes and started running. They came across a small door that The Doctor crept through, then motioned for the others to follow. They arrived at a hole in the wall of the children's workplace, and found that they were being used to build an engine used to generate electricity. Jackson reached for an info stamp, but the Doctor stopped him, running back the way they came. The others followed closely behind. He stopped at a form of computer and slipped his glasses on. Rose heard Rosita make a noise of approval and grinned at her.

'He does look good in those glasses, eh?' The Doctor turned away from the computer.

'Priorities, please!' He turned back to the computer. 'Power at ninety percent. But if we stop the engine, the power dies down and the Cybermen will come running.' The computer made a noise that was probably not so good for it. 'Ooh, power fluctuation, that's not supposed to happen.'

'is it going wrong?' Jackson asked, concern apparent on his face. The Doctor shook his head and muttered something about the software rewriting itself. After tapping futilely on the screen, it sparked and the Doctor drew his hand back.

'It's accelerating out of control! Ninety-six percent, ninety-seven.'

'What happens to the children when it reaches a hundred?' Rosita asked. The Doctor's eyes widened in a rare moment of panic.

'They're disposable, come on!' He raced back to the hole in the work area, leaping in, followed by Rose, with Jackson and Rosita taking up the rear, zapping the Cybermen guards with info stamps.

'Come on, everybody out,' the Doctor shouted, 'that's an order!'

'Everybody listen, you've got to get out _now_!' She spotted a small boy crying in the corner. 'Come on, love, come with me.' She picked him up and ran out of the building with the children, unnoticed by the Doctor.

'Come on! A hot pie for everyone if you leg it!' he shouted and Rose laughed, still madly running with the kids.

'Keep running, come with me, I'll keep you safe,' she yelled out. She took off down the street, still holding the child, with all the children flowing out of the factory behind her, and Rosita bringing up the rear. She turned a sharp corner and ran into a familiar face.

'Rosie?'

'Jack! You're stronger than me, take him,' she handed him the child, 'and take all the children in that direction,' she pointed, 'and keep them safe. I'm going to help the Doctor.'

'Wait,' Jack shouted, 'what's going on?'

'Cyberman invasion, factory about to blow, children workers, saving the world, this is Rosita, gotta go! Everyone, this is Jack, he's going to take care of you.' She blew him a kiss and took off down the street. Jack was stunned.

'Uh, everyone, come this way, I promised I would take care of you! Has anyone got a cellar?'

'I do,' said a kid at the back and Jack grinned.

'Excellent, lead the way.' At the same time, Rose was running back to the Doctor, and Jackson was standing in the factory, stock still. He looked up to the top of the factory to see a scared little boy crouching on some scaffolding.

'My son,' he whispered, 'Doctor, the Cybermen, they took my son, but he's alive, look, up there! Frederic!' Frederic didn't move, and the stairs were blown. The Doctor still had his sword and he grabbed a rope, cut the bottom and flew to the top.

'Oh, hello!' He pulled Frederic onto his back. 'Hold on tight and don't let go. He grabbed another rope and swung down and out of the factory, Jackson on his heels. Once they were clear, the Doctor handed Jackson his son.

'Merry Christmas!' he shouted brightly, and turned to dash back inside. Jackson hugged his son tightly and nearly burst into tears, then looked back at the Doctor.

'Where are you going?' he shouted to him.

'I have to find Rose,' the Doctor yelled back. 'I didn't see her come out.' Just as he said it, the building exploded into a million pieces. The Doctor stared in shock, then sank to his knees.

'Rose,' he whispered,' I can't believe I let you down.' Tears formed in his eyes. '_Rose!' _he screamed, pounding the cobblestones beneath him and he let the tears flow freely down his face.

Meanwhile, Jack put all the children safely in the cellar and ran back up to the surface, Just in time to see a giant Cyberman shaped ship emerge from the Thames. He sighed.

'Bloody hell.' The Doctor also saw this ship emerge and his eyes were wide.

'It's a Cyberking! It's a ship. Dreadnought class. Front line of an invasion, and inside the chest, a cyberfactory, ready to convert millions.' He turned to Jackson. 'Just head south. Take him south! Go to the parkland!'

'But where are you going?' Jackson asked hurriedly.

'To stop that thing.'

'Then I should be with you.' Jackson argued.

'Jackson, you've got your son. You've got a reason to live.' Jackson opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again as the Doctor looked at him sadly.

Seeing no point in arguing, he nodded and ran south with his son. The Doctor arrived at the barn in record time and the Doctor threw the stick he pulled out of the dimension vault onto the table.

'What the hell is that thing sir?' A voice carried over to the Doctor's ears and he jumped.

'Oh, good man! Jed, wasn't it? Jed, I need your help!'

'I'm not going out there!'

'I'll give you five pound notes,' the Doctor offered. Jed put a hand to his head.

'Um… All right. What do you want me to do?' The Doctor whipped around, with another info stamp belt flung around his neck.

'The TARDIS is gonna fly,' he shouted behind him.

While the Doctor was bribing Jed, Rose made it back to the factory, only to find it all around her, the dust from the explosion still settling. She shouted in frustration and raced back to where she left Jack. Upon arriving, she found nobody she recognised, and sighed. She may as well go back to the TARDIS and wait, since there was nothing she could do now. She walked back and unlocked the door, letting herself in and sat down on the jump seat, waiting for her Doctor to return.

* * *

**Uh oh. The Doctor thinks Rose is dead! Dun dun dun. I wasn't originally going to do 'The Next Doctor,' but my friend would've come to my house and made me stick a fork in a toaster if I didn't. So, this chapter was dedicated to you, Alli!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Whew, 'The Next Doctor' is finally finished! It took me four days to get through the episode's dialogue, and, quite frankly, I can hardly type coherent sentences anymuffin. See? It's getting worse!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, because as much as I love the Master, how the hell is he still alive?**

* * *

Chapter 7

The Doctor and Jed sprinted out of the building and the Doctor jumped inside the balloon.

'You're flaming bonkers, you are, sir!' Jed called. The Doctor held his hand out for the stick from the dimension vault.

'It's been said before! Now, gimme!' He snatched it out of Jed's hand and shook it. 'Not enough power! Come on! Jed, let her loose!' Jed scrambled around the balloon, undoing ropes tethering it to the ground.

'Ever flown one of these before?' he asked over his shoulder.

'Nope, never!'

'Can I have my money now?' Jed asked.

'Oh, get on with it,' the Doctor growled in frustration. The balloon rose into the air, and the Doctor pulled on random ropes, trying to get a feel for the so-called controls.

'God's luck to you, sir!' Jed screamed up at him, and laughed in delight. The 'TARDIS' rose up behind the Cyberking and it turned to face him, revealing Miss Hartigan with a cyber-like crown on her head.

'Excellent,' she said, her voice doubled with a robotic voice, 'the Doctor. Yet another man come to assert himself against me in the night.'

'Miss Hartigan, I'm offering you a choice,' the Doctor shouted to her, 'you might have the most remarkable mind this world has ever seen. Strong enough to control the Cybermen themselves!' Her coal-black eyes narrowed.

'I don't need you to sanction me.'

'No,' the Doctor agreed, 'but such a mind deserves to live. The Cybermen came to this world using a dimension vault. I can use that device to find you a home. With no people to convert. But a new world where you can live out your mechanical life in peace.'

'I have the world below, and it is abundant with so many minds ready to become extensions of me, so why would I leave this place?'

'Because if you don't,' the Doctor threatened, 'I'll have to stop you.'

'What do you make of me, sir? An idiot?'

'No,' the Doctor answered, 'the question is, what do you make of me?' He wrapped the info stamp belt around his arm and pointed it at the Cyberking. 'You make me into this.'

'Destroy him,' Miss Hartigan ordered as the Doctor activated the info stamps, aiming the electricity straight at her.

'I have made you into a failure, then, sir. Your weapons are useless.'

'I wasn't trying to kill you,' he disagreed, 'all I did was break the cyberconnection, leaving your mind open. Open, I think, for the first time in far too many years, so you can see. Just look at yourself.' The Cybermen turned toward Miss Hartigan, and she gasped slightly. 'Look at what you've done! I'm sorry, Miss Hartigan, but look at what you've become.' She screamed and she and the Cybermen disintegrated. Without anything to control it, the Cyberking staggered, ready to fall, but the dimension vault stick beeped, and the Doctor teleported it away. He looked down at London town to see people cheering and he smiled and waved. Jackson ran up to meet him as the balloon landed, telling him of his plans for the future, and invited him to stay for dinner. The Doctor declined, and Jackson walked him to the TARDIS.

'Care to have a look?' Rose heard the Doctor's voice just outside the TARDIS and stood up, leaning against the console. The door opened, and Jackson walked in, then stopped in his tracks a few feet from the door, frozen in awe of its bigger-on-the-inside effect. The Doctor followed him in, then saw Rose.

'Rose,' he breathed, and took a step toward her. 'Rose, you're alive!' He sprinted up the ramp and spun her around in his arms. He buried his face in her neck and breathed in her smell. The smell of vanilla, and mango shampoo, and just all-around Rose-ness. She laughed and pulled away slightly.

'What's all this about then? I took the children away, then came here after I couldn't find you.' The Doctor laughed in relief.

'I thought you were still in that damned factory when it blew up. I thought you were dead.' He crushed her to him, and they stayed like that until Jackson cleared his throat and they snapped out of their own world to look at him.

'I take it this is goodbye, then,' Jackson said a little sadly.

'Onwards and upwards,' the Doctor agreed.

'But tell me, Doctor, after all those years, you were never alone. You always had bright and shining companions. But not anymore? Just Rose?'

'Yeah,' he replied, and wove his fingers through hers. 'Just us.'

'Might I ask why?'

'They leave,' The Doctor answered sadly. 'Because they should, or they find someone else. And some of them… Some of them… Forget me,' he managed, thinking of Donna, his best friend who he had seen not a week earlier, and she didn't recognise him. 'I suppose in the end, they break my heart.' Rose, who had been fighting tears the entire time, finally lost control, and she turned into the Doctor's shoulder, her tears hitting their entwined hands. The Doctor let go of her hand, only to wrap his arms around her comfortingly.

'That offer of Christmas dinner,' Jackson began cautiously, 'it's no longer a request, it's a demand.' The Doctor smiled up at him.

'Oh, why not? You've actually changed my mind. Not many people can do that.' He kissed Rose's hair and took her hand again, pulling her along with him, then stopped and ran back into the TARDIS. He emerged seconds later, holding a pair of bio-dampers, and slipped one on his fourth finger.

'If I'm not going to let go of you all night, we shoulder probably put these on.' He dropped to one knee, and grinned.

'Rose Tyler, will you fake marry me? Again?' She mock gasped.

'Oh, my God, yes! A thousand times yes!' They burst into laughter and the Doctor slipped the ring onto her finger.

'How many times is this, now?' Rose put her hand out to silence him and began to think.

'If I'm not wrong, this is nine. The last one was on that planet where the people worshipped cleaning supplies, yeah? And when I tried to use one of their deities to clean a smudge off the window it was get married or get executed. Hence being hit with a broom.' The Doctor laughed and straightened up, taking her hand, which now had a shiny wedding, uh, _bio-damper_ on it.

'Sorry, Jackson, let's get going.' They went to the centre of town, where everyone was still gathered, and they raced to meet him. Jack finally made it back to them, with Rosita on his arm.

'I thought you were a goner, Doc. What possessed you to go up there without Rose?' Jack glanced down at their hands. 'And did you guys get married again, or something?'

'Again?' Rosita asked with an eyebrow raised.

'It's a long story,' the Doctor explained, 'we don't exactly lead a normal life.' The time travellers followed Jackson, Frederic and Rosita to the centre of the crowd, where a table stood, laden with a Christmas dinner big enough to feed an army. The six of them dug in, followed closely by the villagers. Two hours later, the Doctor, Rose and Jack slid down a wall.

'Ugh, I can't believe I ate so much,' Rose moaned. If the three helpings of turkey weren't enough, did I really need the pie afterward?' Jack made a noise of agreement, not trusting himself to speak.

'I don't know what you're all complaining about, the Doctor disagreed, 'I feel perfectly fine.'

'Doctor, you ate the most out of any of us,' Rose accused, 'How are you still so ungodly skinny?' He chuckled, thinking of Donna , and how she had accused him of being too skinny for words.

'Ah, but you wouldn't have me any other way,' he said cheekily. Rose's face tinged lightly red, and she shoved him playfully.

'Come on, we had better get Jack to the TARDIS, he doesn't look so good.' The Doctor nodded in agreement, and hauled Jack to his feet, supporting him around his middle. He staggered under his weight but managed to shuffle off to the TARDIS. Rose gave him a peck on the cheek, then ran back to the feast. She found Jackson and Rosita without too much trouble, and smiled at Frederic, who noticed her first.

'Well, we're heading off, thank you for inviting us to dinner, it was lovely.' She hugged Rosita and Frederic, then turned to Jackson.

'Listen, I just wanted to say-' she started but Jackson interrupted her.

'Rose, I am truly sorry for my behaviour yesterday. It's just… When I thought I was the Doctor, you were all I could remember, and he thought he wasn't ever going to see you again. I'm sorry for, uh, kissing you, and… Well, that Doctor of yours loves you so much, anyone could see.' Rose smiled and pulled him into a hug.

'Jackson, it's okay. By the way, you might consider… Uh… Courting Rosita. She fancies you, and I think the feeling is mutual.' She kissed him on the cheek and disappeared after the Doctor. She caught up with him just outside the TARDIS, where she held the door open for Jack as the Doctor lowered him onto the grating just inside the doors. Rose stepped over him and closed the door behind her.

She walked slowly up to the jump seat and sank down beside the Doctor, suddenly overcome with fatigue. He pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder, perfectly content. He sighed and tightened his hold on her. When they were dashing about on an adventure, his mind was focused on trying to keep so many things from turning disastrous that he didn't have time to think about what he was going to do when Rose aged and died, or whether he was going to get her killed. For most beings, sleep and relaxation was a time of bliss. For the Doctor, it was a nightmare. Rose seemed to notice his unease, and opened her eyes.

'Doctor?' she asked sleepily, 'what's wrong?'

'Nothing, my Rose, go back to sleep.' She narrowed her eyes, but complied, too tired to argue. The Doctor untangled himself from her and moved Jack to the jump seat. He scooped Rose up and took her to her room, which he hadn't touched since Canary Wharf. He took off her shoes, set her down under the duvet and kissed her forehead.

'Sleep well, my Rose,' he whispered, and started to leave the room, but was stopped by Rose's sleepy voice.

'Don't go, Doctor,' she murmured, 'not tonight.' The Doctor smiled and toed off his high tops, and shrugged out of his suit jacket and tie. He crawled under the duvet and flung an arm over her waist, yelping softly when her cold toes touched his. She giggled and rolled over to face him, burying her face in his chest and fell asleep almost immediately. Though the Doctor didn't need nearly as much sleep as humans did, he hadn't slept since going back to Torchwood over a week ago, and he soon followed Rose into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ugh, this is so short, not 1000 words, even with the author's notes! But I think it's my favorite chapter so far, deal with it. You know what else? I like Coldplay, deal with it! So, my RandomCreeper finally reviewed, and was it ever atricious! Just kidding, Megan, I 3 you! Okay, enough with the inside jokes, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, because if I did, thsi scene would've actually happened.**

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Chapter 8

When Rose woke up, she was still held tightly in the Doctor's arms, whose eyes were closed, a smile playing across his angular features. She reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, which was really the only piece not stuck up at a strange angle. His eyes flew open and his smiled softly.

'Sorry,' she apologised, 'I didn't mean to wake you.' The Doctor's smile broadened slightly.

'Wasn't sleeping,' he replied, 'well, I was, but I woke up a couple of hours ago.' He untangled himself from her and tickled her sides. Rose squealed, trying to get away from him, and, in her haste to escape, fell off the side of the bed. The Doctor scrambled to the edge of the bed and peered down at her. Once he saw the devious look in her eyes, he leapt back as she pounced on him, returning the assault in full. The Doctor's eyes widened and he burst into involuntary laughter.

'Rose,' he gasped, 'I'm… I'm gonna,' he stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence through his giggles, 'I'm gonna fall!' He toppled off the other edge of the bed, pulling Rose down with him, who landed right on top of him. Their faces were centimetres apart.

'If you were awake hours ago, why didn't you leave?' Rose asked.

'I didn't want to wake you up. And I didn't want to move.' Rose smiled at that, but still she pressed on.

'Why were your eyes closed, then?'

'I was trying to get back to sleep,' the Doctor lied smoothly, but Rose was still unconvinced, and he knew it, and sighed. 'When I sleep, Rose, it's different from you. Your conscious mind shuts down for the night, but mine is still awake, just a little bit. When I'm not thinking about a million things a minute, or trying to keep wars from breaking out, I get lost in my thoughts. So lost, in fact, that sometimes I think I won't be able to find my way out again. The thought that scares me the most though, the one that keeps me running, is that I might lose you. Again and again I've thought I have, with you escaping death by a fraction of a second or an inch. Rose, every time I sleep, it's a nightmare. That's why my eyes were closed. I was trying to crack an unsolvable equation to keep my mind light.' Rose kissed him then, and this time, instead of being urgent, with them on the brink of death, it was slow and deep and patient. The Doctor pulled away, his breath still ghosting over Rose's face.

'Theta,' he whispered, almost inaudibly. Rose frowned.

'What?'

'It's my name,' the Doctor murmured, 'Theta Sigma.' Rose froze and sat up, her nose stinging as tears threatened to make their presence known.

'Theta,' she whispered, and a tear rolled down the Doctor's cheek.

'Nobody has called me that since the Time Lords were alive with a strong reign on the universe. I thought I would never hear it again. Even the TARDIS doesn't say it anymore.' Rose smiled through her tears, and brushed the tear off the Doctor's face.

'Theta,' she whispered again, 'I love you, Theta. I always have, I always will.' The Doctor sniffed and buried his face into Rose's neck. She let her own tears go, and wound her arms around his neck as his simultaneously wrapped around her waist, and he rolled over, now positioned over Rose, and pulled back to look at her, her hair fanned out like a halo beneath her head.

'You are so beautiful,' he murmured softly, and this time, there were no formal gestures, no swearing on deities, just the Doctor finally opening himself up fully to his love, and her loving him back with all her existence. And it was about time, too.

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**Before everyone starts freaking out, I KNOW Theta Sigma is his nickname, so leave it! I just thought he should have told her his name, and that's really the closest thing I could get. End of Time Part One might be next!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ooookay, that took longer than I thought it would. Chapter nine, a COMPLETE filler. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor who, but I've run out of reasons why I don't.**

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Chapter 9

The Doctor and Rose finally stumbled out of her bedroom after an eternity of just holding each other with an occasional murmur or kiss. Jack was still asleep on the jump seat, and the Doctor grinned and jumped onto the grating with a loud bang, making the Time Agent jolt and fall off the seat and onto the floor with a sickening crunch. He scrambled to his feet and leaned against the console nonchalantly, as Rose hid a smile.

'You all right, there, Jack?' Jack cleared his throat.

'Yeah, um, I was just… What the hell happened last night?' The Doctor made no attempt to mask his amusement.

'You ate too much, then decided to drown your discomfort in wine. How did that work out for you?'

'Oh yeah,' Jack said, remembering parts of the night, 'very well, thanks. Hey did you remember the name of the girl I was talking to?'

'Jack, that was me,' Rose answered patiently, 'I was afraid that if you didn't stop hitting on me, the Doctor was going to serve you as second helpings to Christmas dinner.'

'Oh, Rosie, I was hitting on you? I'm sorry,' Jack apologised, 'stupid wine.' The Doctor rolled his eyes.

'Maybe you should go lie down, Jack. You don't seem to be fully recovered yet. I'm sure the TARDIS still has your old room.' Jack nodded and stumbled out of the console room.

'So, my Doctor, where to?' Rose asked brightly. He smiled at her obvious excitement.

'I've always wanted to meet a certain group of people from the fifties. The first people to walk on the face of Mars. How about it?' Rose frowned.

'You said they were from the fifties,' she protested.

'Yeah, 2059, I thought that was obvious,' he teased, and landed the TARDIS. He swept open the doors with a flourish… And Rose burst into laughter.

'_That's _Mars?' she asked between giggles. The Doctor peeked outside and the tips of his ears turned red.

'No, ah, that would be… Barcelona. The planet.' Rose grinned ear to ear.

'We're on Barcelona?' she asked excitedly, and the Doctor nodded. 'Finally,' she all but squealed and hugged him, then ran out the doors. He laughed and followed her, pausing only to lock the TARDIS. Barcelona, it turned out, was, at least where they had landed, a huge amusement park. It also wasn't inhabited by dogs with no noses; they were simply the pets of the people, who, surprisingly, were human. Rose walked up, well, more like ran up to an old lady with a dog.

'Your dog is so cute! Can I pet him?' When the woman nodded, Rose plopped down on the ground, and the dog jumped on her lap, licking her face furiously. Rose laughed and pushed him down, then motioned for the Doctor to come over still petting the dog. He smiled genuinely and sat down next to her, going exactly seven seconds without being assaulted by the dog in the same manner Rose was. He had the exact same reaction as Rose and the old woman smiled.

'I'm glad to see young married couples that aren't afraid to get dirty for the sake of a dog,' she said happily.

'Oh, we're not married,' Rose said quickly. The old woman was confused.

'You've got wedding rings on,' she pointed out. The travellers stood up, and the Doctor took Rose's hand.

'Oh, these are… Um… We got them out of a cereal box,' he finished lamely. The woman raised an eyebrow, but accepted their excuse.

'Well, I'm just glad to see people who don't mind if a dog's got no nose. So many people come here and see a dog like this and leave.' Rose sat down on the bench next to the woman and patted her arm.

'I think he's adorable. What's his name?' The old woman smiled.

'Jack,' she answered, which made the couples' mouths dropped open in shock, and they started to laugh uncontrollably.

'Well, he- he's affectionate like Jack,' the Doctor stammered through his laughter. They thanked the woman for letting them play with Jack and walked down the street.

'We should get a dog,' Rose thought out loud, and the Doctor laughed.

'Rose, we've got a dog. K-9 is… Oh. With Sarah-Jane.'

'You can get one too, Doctor. I'm sure one dog would get lonely.' The Doctor agreed and they found a shelter. They strode to opposite ends of the kennels and looked for a dog. Rose picked out a Yorkie puppy, and the Doctor chose a labradoodle puppy. They picked them up and went to meet each other. When they saw what the other had chosen, they burst out laughing.

'Why did you pick the biggest one you could find?' Rose asked.

'Why did you pick the smallest one you could find?' the Doctor said at the same time. They shook their heads and went to pay, still laughing. After buying all the supplies they would need, the Doctor was burdened with the task of carrying everything, while Rose led the puppies back to the TARDIS. She unlocked the door with the key she always had around her neck, even in Pete's World, and the Doctor dropped everything on the jump seat.

'You know, we still need names for these little terrors,' Rose pointed out, and the Doctor nodded.

'You're right. Rose, meet K-9.' He picked up his puppy and held it out to her. She laughed and shook his paw.

'Hello, K-9. Doctor, meet Mickey.' She picked up her own puppy and the Doctor laughed.

'Well, he did call himself the tin dog.' Rose pushed his shoulder playfully and they put the puppies on the floor. Rose picked up the dog door and began installing it into the hole that the TARDIS made for her. The Doctor sat down on the grating and the puppies jumped into his lap.

'Oh, aren't you just so cute,' he cooed, and made funny faces at them. Rose paused in installing the door and watched him. He was making strange noises at them and was suddenly aware of Rose watching him, an amused smile on her face.

'I was just, uh,' he said intelligently, and Rose laughed.

'It's all right, Doctor. You're going to be a very good father to them.' The Doctor was stunned, and the puppies took their chance and leapt at his face. Rose bit her lip to hide her laughter and finished with the door. She walked over to the Doctor and pulled Mickey off him.

'What do you say we go and find Jack,' she said with a mischievous smile. The Doctor grinned and stood up, taking K-9 with him. They crept up to Jack's room and the Doctor confirmed that he was sleeping. They pushed the door open without as much as a creak (thank you, TARDIS), and dropped the puppies on him. They bombarded his face, licking mercilessly and Jack shot up.

'There are dogs in here,' he pointed out. The Doctor and Rose nodded patiently.

'Yes, Jack. Good boy,' the Doctor rewarded patronisingly.

'There are dogs in here,' Jack repeated stupidly, 'and why don't they have noses?'

'Yes, Jack,' Rose said, 'and now, there's a dog on you!' She dropped Mickey into his lap.

'Barcelona,' the Doctor explained, 'they've got dogs with no noses.' Jack nodded, dazed, then flopped back onto his pillow, falling back asleep instantly. The Doctor and Rose crept out of his room as the puppies plunked themselves down on Jack's bed and fell asleep on top of him. They made their way back to the console room, and the Doctor jumped up onto the grating.

'Okay, detour's over, Jack's going to be passed out for a good five and a half hours, what do you say we hit 2059 now?' When Rose nodded enthusiastically, he grinned at her and pulled down a lever on the console, the coordinates already set.

'Hold down that button,' he called to her, and she furrowed her brow in concentration.

'This one?' she asked, gesturing to a small yellow button near the time rotor.

'Ah, no, you've just blown us up.' Rose pointed to another button.

'This one, then.' The Doctor froze.

'No, that one… Ah, it doesn't matter. The one next to it.' Rose gave him a look and pushed down said button.

'What does that button do? Implode the universe or something?' The Doctor grimaced.

'No, it's not dangerous… Just… A bit unpleasant.' The TARDIS landed and Rose looked at the Doctor with a devious glint in her eye, then slammed her hand down on the button. The Doctor sighed and tugged at his ear as a panel opened above their heads and stuffed toy puppies rained down on them. Rose screamed in delight and dove under the console, sheltering herself from the barrage of puppies. She glanced up to see the Doctor also lying under the console grinning like a madman.

'I told you not to push the button,' he teased, and Rose laughed.

'Why would you have something like that on board?'

'Ever since I reconstructed the TARDIS just before my ninth life, that button has been there. I came to work on her and there it was. I was curious, so I pushed it and just like now, an onslaught of puppies flew down onto me. Needless to say, I was not impressed.' The pummelling puppies let up and Rose pecked the Doctor on the lips, then rolled out from under the console.

'Let's go see 2059,' she said excitedly, about to wrench the door open.

'Wait!' The Doctor raced to the door and threw himself against it. 'A quick trip to the wardrobe is needed. No atmosphere, you know.' He led Rose up to the wardrobe and pulled out the familiar orange space suit.

'Krop Tor.' Rose looked up at him with confusion clouding her eyes. 'Why did you keep it? You almost died. _I_ almost died.' The Doctor smiled at her.

'Yeah, but do you remember the hug we had when you ran back onto the TARDIS?' His smile broadened. 'Brilliant.' Rose returned his smile and reached into the wardrobe herself.

'And did you go back there and pick up another suit?' she asked teasingly. The Doctor's smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

'I may have nicked it off the base when nobody was looking,' he admitted and held up a finger when Rose grinned and opened her mouth to tease him. 'No, no, no, listen, I had a reason! What if I had a beautiful companion who wanted to see Mars in 2059 with me?' Rose shook her head and took the orange suit off its hanger and pulled it over her clothes.

'How in God's name did you manage to smuggle this off the base?'

'Pockets. They're bigger on the inside, you know,' he informed her as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe. He pulled on his own space suit and fitted the helmet to the top. Rose raced back to the console room, followed closely by the Doctor, and he tackled her to the ground. She laughed and knocked on the front of his helmet.

'Are we going to Mars, or what?' she asked and pushed him off of her. They walked to the doors and Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand before fitting on her own helmet. They pulled open the doors and the Doctor grinned.

'Rose, welcome to Mars.'

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**Readers, welcome to the bitchy plot device known as a cliff hanger. Even though it's just Waters of Mars. Which I'm sure you've all seen. Which I'm writing right now. Well, no, I'm writing _this_ right now, but... ANYWAY! Next few days it should be up.**


	10. Chapter 10

******Oh, my goodness. So sorry. It's been two months! I really have no excuse, but this was terribly difficult to write. It's also really long, so I apologise for that. Enjoy, anyway...**

**EDITS: Fixed two typos. That's right. Two.**

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'Ah, the red planet, brilliant!' The Doctor pulled Rose out of the TARDIS and they walked along a steep cliff, enjoying each other's company. They came across a small base, and the Doctor smiled.

'Oh, beautiful,' he breathed, his smile broadening as he glanced at Rose, who beamed back up at him.

'Humans?' she asked, then grinned inwardly. Four years ago, that wasn't a question she had ever used. Now it was a staple in everyday conversation. As she was contemplating this, something pressed into the small of her back and she froze.

'Doctor,' she breathed, 'something is on my back.' The Doctor glanced to the side of his vision to see a small robot aiming what appeared to be a gun at Rose. The pair slowly turned to face it raising their hands in surrender.

'You are under arrest for trespassing,' the robot informed them with a healthy '_Gadget-gadget.'_ Rose's eyes widened and the robot ushered them into the base, where they took off their space suits without hesitation. A slim woman with wispy blonde hair aimed a blaster at them.

'State your name, rank and intention,' she ordered, and the Doctor nodded to Rose.

'Rose Tyler, Torchwood representative… Um… Fun?' The Doctor hid a smile as the woman turned to him.

'The Doctor, Doctor… Fun.' Rose shook her head and a man burst into the room.

'People, he gasped, 'people, on Mars! How?'

'They were wearing these things,' a young woman with a thick German accent added, 'I have never seen anything like it.'

'Oi, I like it,' Rose protested, and the crew ignored her.

'What did Mission Control say?' the man asked the German woman.

'They're out of range for ten hours with the solar flares,' she answered.

'Could we cut the chat?' the first woman demanded, and the Doctor figured she was the one in charge.

'Actually,' the Doctor countered, 'chat's second on my list, the first being "gun pointed at our heads."' Rose rolled her eyes, but the Doctor wasn't finished.

'Which then puts my head second and chat third, I think.' His blonde companion stepped on his foot to prevent him from speaking any further.

'Stop it,' she mouthed.

'I hate lists,' he whined, and then turned his attention back to the woman in charge, 'but really, you could hurt someone with that thing. Just put it down.' The woman scoffed.

'Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?' Rose raised an eyebrow.

'Could you find me someone who wouldn't?' she challenged. The woman ignored her again, keeping her eyes focused on the Doctor.

'Why should I trust you?' she asked suspiciously, and Rose growled in frustration.

'Am I invisible?' she asked to nobody in particular, 'Hello! Rose Tyler, Torchwood, parallel Earth, in love with the Doctor, likes chips! Anyone?' The man who came bursting in earlier raised his hand.

'I can see you,' he offered.

'Oh, shut up,' Rose snapped, and whipped back around to face the Doctor, who had convinced the woman to trust him, and managed to pick a fight with a robot.

'I hate funny robots,' he was saying, and Rose pulled him away before he dismantled it, and a voice came over the computer.

'Excuse me, boss. Computer log says we've got an extra human on site. How is that possible?' The Doctor winced and tried to make himself as small as possible as all eyes swivelled toward Rose and him.

'Keep the bio-dome closed. And when using open comms, you call me Captain. Now. Just one?' the woman asked, and when she received confirmation, she disconnected and advanced toward the duo.

'All right, which one of you is it?' The Doctor played dumb as his initial tactic.

'Which one of us what?' The woman gritted her teeth.

'A vast universe around us, you can't expect me to believe there's no other life.' Rose sighed and stepped forward.

'You're right, it's me. I'm… Slitheen. From Raxicoriofallapatorius.' The Captain stared at her, and Rose held her gaze easily. The other woman looked away and addressed the only man in the room who hadn't spoken. Her second in command.

'How the _hell_ did they get here?'

'Well, it can't be a World State flight, because we'd know about it. Therefore, they've got to be one of the independents, yeah? Was it the Branson Inheritance lot?' he spun on the spot, and continued without waiting for an answer. 'They've been talking about a Mars shot for years.' The Doctor rolled his eyes and impatiently swung around to face the second in command.

'Right, yes. Okay, you got me. So, I'm the Doctor, and you are?' The Captain snorted behind him and the Doctor wheeled around again.

'Oh, come on. We're the first off-world colonists in history. Everyone on planet Earth knows who we are.' The Doctor was gobsmacked, his mouth hanging open as he looked at everyone in the room, spinning in circles as Rose looked at him with concern in her eyes.

'You're the first?' Rose asked in disbelief, 'the very first humans on Mars?'

'Then, this is-' the Doctor started to say.

'Bowie Base One,' the Captain finished, and the Doctor sank onto his heels, still spinning about like a madman.

'Number One. Founded July first, 2058. Established Bowie Base One in the Gusev Crater.' After a long pause, he continued his rant. 'You've been here how long?'

'Seventeen months,' the captain replied with a slight frown.

'2059,' Rose clarified, and the captain cocked her head. 'It's 2059 right now.' No matter how times she travelled with the Doctor, it never ceased to amaze her. Her musings were cut short by a loud shout from the Doctor.

'_Oh!_ My head is so stupid!' He cut off to send a glare at Rose, who snickered and nodded her head. 'You're Captain Adelaide Brooke!' The Doctor turned around the room and addressed every one of the colonists by name and rank. Deputy Edward Gold, Tarak Ital, MD, Nurse Yuri Kerenski, Senior Technician Steffi Ehrlich, Junior Technician Roman Groom and Geologist Mia Bennett. When he turned to Mia, a wave of sadness washed over him.

'You're only twenty-seven years old,' he said sadly, and Rose looked at him with confusion in her eyes as Mia frowned.

'As I said, Doctor,' Adelaide cut in, 'everyone knows our names.'

'Oh, they'll never forget them,' replied the Doctor, hating himself. He meant to ask the date, but he found himself overcome with emotion. Rose noticed this and stepped up in his place.

'What's the date? The exact date?' The Doctor shot her a grateful look and she smiled quickly before turning back to Adelaide.

'November 21, 2059.' At this, the Doctor froze.

'Right. Okay, fine.' Rose was feeling uneasy.

'Is something wrong?' she asked quietly, even though it was obvious that something was.

'What's so important about my age?' Mia wondered in concern.

'We- we should go.' The Doctor ignored their questions. 'We really should go. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, with all of my hearts,' Rose chuckled slightly at this but kept the uneasy look on her face, 'but it's one of those very rare times when I've got no choice.' Upon hearing this, Rose's heart plummeted into her stomach and her head whipped round to face the Doctor. He purposefully avoided her gaze and stepped toward the colonists.

'It's been an honour. Seriously,' he insisted as he stepped forward to shake all of their hands, 'a very great honour to meet you all.' Rose nodded.

'The first humans on Mars,' she smiled. 'It really has been amazing.' The Doctor finished shaking hands, and patted the robot's head, for lack of a better term, and it replied with a hearty '_gadget-gadget.' _The Doctor strode back to Rose and picked up her hand, then frowned and turned back.

'There's the other two. Hold on. Margaret Cain and Andrew Stone.' Ed walked to a computer and pushed a few buttons, opening the comm to the bio-dome.

'Maggie, if you want to meet the only new people you're going to see in the next five years, better come take a look.' There was a long pause, with nothing but static on the other side. Rose glanced at the Doctor, who was staring ahead intently, then she jumped as a snarl came over the comms.

'What the bloody hell was that?' she asked with a tinge of panic, but the Doctor just sighed.

'Oh, we really should go.' He rubbed his hands over his face as Ed turned back to the comm.

'Bio-dome, this is Central. Report immediately.' Adelaide walked up behind him and he pulled up the feed from the bio-dome.

'Internal cameras are down,' he muttered, then pulled up the exterior, which showed every light in the dome going down. Adelaide's eyes widened and she straightened up.

'I'm going over,' she announced, 'Doctor, with me.'

'Y-yeah,' the Doctor stammered, 'I'm sorry. We'd love to help, but we're leaving right now.' Steffi handed them their spacesuits, then snatched them back as the captain ordered her to lock it up.

'This started as soon as you arrived,' Adelaide snapped, 'so you're not going anywhere, except with me.' Rose stepped forward to follow them, but the Doctor held her back.

'Not this time, Rose.' She opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor shushed her. 'I'll be back soon, but whatever that noise was eventually causes everyone on this base to die, and I will not let that happen to you.' Rose frowned and glared at the Doctor, but stepped back and allowed him to pass, striking up a conversation with Roman instead.

'So, that robot,' she said casually, and Roman snapped his head up to look at her, 'does it have a name?'

'Of course,' he replied, 'every good robot has a name. Gadget.'

'Oh, of course,' Rose muttered, then wandered over to Mia. 'So, that Yuri bloke. What's his story?' She meant this only as a conversation starter, to find out more about the crew, but Mia whipped around and fixed her with a glare which she was a bit too slow to hide.

'He's got a girlfriend back on Earth, I think,' she replied a bit too casually. Rose raised her eyebrows.

'She's going to wait five years for him?'

'Er, yeah, I guess. From what I heard, they're practically engaged.' Rose shrugged and let the topic drop, turning back to Roman.

'So, where are they?' she asked nervously, frustrated that she couldn't be with the Doctor while he was investigating and having all the fun.

'They're just on their way to the bio-dome,' he replied, 'look. Gadget's got a camera, so you can see that Doctor of yours any time.' He sent a sideways grin to Rose, and she blushed slightly, making him laugh.

'I've seen the way you look at him, and he looks right back at you the exact same way.' Roman leaned toward Rose. 'See Mia over there? She and Yuri are kind of… In the same situation.' Rose gaped at him and breathed a sigh of relief as the comms came to life and she could see the Doctor again. Roman thoughtfully left the camera trained on the Doctor, who turned his head toward Adelaide as she spoke.

'What's so important about Mia's age? You said she's only twenty-seven. Why does it matter? What did you mean?'

'Oh, I just open my mouth and words come out. They don't make much sense,' he insisted, making Rose burst into laughter and the Doctor turned back toward the robot. 'Are you laughing at me, Miss Tyler?' Rose nodded, then, realising he couldn't see her, spoke out loud.

'You'd better believe it, Doctor.'

'Miss Tyler, the comms are for essential information only, so I suggest you wait until we return to resume small talk with the Doctor,' Adelaide scolded, which made Rose snort.

'Not on your life, Captain. If I can't be there, I will be communicating with that man until he is safe again.' The Captain shot a withering look at the camera, but said no more. Rose caught Roman gaping at her and grinned, pushing the Doctor's most hated button.

'_Gadget-gadget,_' the robot exclaimed, and the Doctor glared at it.

'I hate robots, did I say?' Roman sighed.

'Yeah, well, he's not that fond of you either,' he countered, 'what's wrong with robots?'

'It's not the robots, it's the people,' the Doctor corrected, 'dressing them up and giving them silly voices, like you're reducing them.' Roman and the Doctor continued arguing over the fine points of robot servants until Adelaide finally snapped.

'As I said, the channel is open for essential communications only.' The Doctor grinned back at Roman, who fell silent. Rose decided she would also stay silent, and not push Adelaide any further. The Doctor, Adelaide and Tarak continued walking, and the Doctor addressed that niggling thought that had been in the back of his mind since they arrived on Mars.

'You know, I've read all that stuff about you, Captain Adelaide. One thing they never said; was it worth it, the mission?'

'We've got excellent results from the soil analysis.' Adelaide deftly avoided the question, and the Doctor pounced on that instantly.

'I know… But, all of it. 'Cause, they say you sacrificed everything. Devoted your whole life to get here.' Adelaide sighed.

'It's been chaos back home. Forty long years, climate, the ozone, the oil apocalypse. We almost reached extinction. And to fly above that, to stand on a world with no smoke, and the only straight line is the sunlight… Yes, it's worth it.'

'Ah,' the Doctor grinned, 'that's the Adelaide Brooke I always wanted to meet. The woman with starlight in her soul.' If the Captain was flattered, she didn't show it. The trio finally found Maggie, and brought her back to the Central med bay, then made their way back to the greenhouse. There, they discovered Andrew Stone, who had changed into a sort of water monster that caught Tarak and violently changed him, water gushing out of his mouth, out of his hands, and every pore in his body. They raced out of the bio-dome and after giving Gadget a tune up, the Doctor and Adelaide climbed aboard and sped toward the door leading back to the Central. By this time, Maggie had also changed into one of these water monsters, and she was locked in the med bay. Rose was staring at her intently, cautiously eyeing the water gushing out of the hand that was up against the glass. She shook her head.

'This doesn't make sense,' she said to herself, 'you were fine ten minutes ago. You were talking to Yuri, I heard you.' Her gaze snapped back up to the black eyes of Maggie. Forcing herself to hold Maggie's unblinking stare, she addressed her- or what was left of her.

'Maggie,' she started cautiously, 'can you hear me?' When Maggie didn't reply, Rose pressed on. 'Is Maggie still in there? Or did something just take her body?' Still no response. 'I think everyone would appreciate it if you let her go now, or I'll have to stop you.' Rose dryly noted that, after four years of knowing the Doctor, even if two of them were spent apart, her ability to negotiate and talk herself out of situations had improved greatly. When Maggie _still_ gave no response Rose sighed and turned to Ed, who was standing a few paces behind her.

'Ed, there's no sign of Maggie,' she said quietly, 'she's gone.' Ed shook his head and glared at her.

'How do you know?' he asked furiously, 'are you a doctor? That woman is like family to us!'

'I understand that, but-'

'I don't think you do,' he snapped and Rose fell silent, rage building up inside her.

'Ed, I know what I'm talking about,' she started to explain.

'Of course you do,' he said, his voice dripping with venom, 'because not human, and you think you're so superior to us in every way.' Rose sighed.

'Actually, I _am_ human,' she admitted, 'and I never said I was superior. I've seen these kinds of things before. Well, not this, exactly, but…' she trailed off and leaned in closer to the deputy and continued. 'I've seen things you couldn't even imagine. I've been in orbit around a black hole, I've crossed universes and I've destroyed races.' Ed's eyes widened at this, and Rose still pressed on. 'So listen to me when I say I _know what I'm talking about_!' Ed gave a meek nod, which Rose returned.

'Right, so, what kind of lock have we got on that door?'

'Nothing like we've got on the exterior doors,' he replied, and Rose sighed. At that point, the Doctor and Adelaide burst into the room, slamming the door behind them. Rose let out a breath as relief washed over her, and she squeezed his hand as he ran toward her.

'You're all right,' he breathed, 'I heard Maggie's been infected.' Rose nodded.

'It's not Maggie anymore, Doctor. She's gone.' The Doctor nodded sadly.

'Yes, I suspected as much.' He turned to Maggie. 'What is your name? You can't infect these people, but I can find you a home.'

'What language was that?' Ed asked nervously.

'What? Don't be so thick,' Rose scolded, 'that was English- oh. Yes, Doctor, what language _was_ that?'

'Ancient North Martian,' the Doctor replied, his eyes still trained on Maggie. 'Captain, where do you get your water?'

'From the ice field,' Adelaide answered, 'That's why we chose the crater. We're on top of an underground glacier.'

'Oh, tonnes of water, marvellous,' The Doctor muttered sarcastically. Yuri shook his head.

'But every drop is filtered,' he corrected, 'it's screened, it's safe.'

'You sure about that?' Rose asked, and the Doctor nudged her. After a bit more discussion, a conclusion was made that whatever was in the water created more water, and it wanted Earth, a world full of water. Ed dragged the Captain off to have a word, and Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctor's neck. He returned the embrace whole-heartedly, burying his face in Rose's hair, glad to have some human comfort when he was about to make one of the hardest decisions in his life.

'Doctor, what are we going to do? What if they evacuate? They could all be infected, and bring it back to Earth.' Rose was staring up at him with her questioning brown eyes and the Doctor sighed.

'I don't know, Rose. I really just don't know. The one thing I know for certain is that on this day, Captain Adelaide Brooke activates Action Five. Detonation. There are no survivors. Her death on Mars sparks her granddaughter to fly out into the galaxy and inspire people. Her death is the start of the future. And that's why we have to go.' Rose shook her head and pulled away.

'We can't. You need to find out what's going on. Maybe… Maybe they're not infected, and we can take them back, and Adelaide can tell her granddaughter wonderful stories of how a madman in a strange orange spacesuit saved everyone.' The Doctor nodded at that, even though they both knew the laws of Time wouldn't allow it. The Doctor overheard Ed and Adelaide discussing Action Procedure One, and he and Rose sighed in unison. He leapt over to where they were standing and tried to dissuade them, but to no avail. The crew began packing up the essentials, leaving Rose and the Doctor standing in the middle of the room, watching them in despair.

'Doctor, they can't leave yet.'

'I know, Rose, I know.' He ran a hand through his hair and stalked up to Adelaide. 'Of course, the only problem is-'

'Thank you, Doctor. Your spacesuit will be returned, and good luck to you.' Adelaide cut him off, but he continued like she hadn't spoken.

'The only problem is this thing is clever. It didn't infect the bird or the insects in the bio-dome, it chose the humans. You were chosen. And I told you, Adelaide, water can wait. Tarak changed straightaway, but when Maggie was infected, it stayed hidden inside her, no doubt so it could infiltrate the Central dome. Which means…' he trailed off and Adelaide's eyes dimmed in realisation.

'Any one of us could already be infected,' she finished, and the Doctor nodded grimly.

'And if you take that back to Earth… One drop, Adelaide, just one drop.' The Captain shook her head.

'But we're only presuming infection. If we can find out how this thing got through, _when_ it got through…' Adelaide didn't finish her thought, instead choosing to bark orders at Yuri, shouting about the ice field.

'Right,' the Doctor mused, 'we should leave. Finally. We should leave.' Tactfully avoiding Rose's withering look, he turned to Yuri. 'Yuri, me old mate, no point in seeing the ice field. No point at all. No.' Rose shook her head and raced after Adelaide, and honestly, who was the Doctor kidding? He ran after her, catching up in seconds, and Rose ignored him, putting on a burst of speed and catching up to Adelaide with the Doctor right on her tail.

'Really, Adelaide, bikes! Little foldaway bikes! Don't weigh a thing!' The trio raced to the ice field, and Rose stopped at the rail in awe.

'They tell legends of Mars from long ago,' the Doctor said quietly, 'of a fine and noble race who built an empire out of snow. The Ice Warriors.'

'Look, I haven't got time for stories,' Adelaide snapped, and stalked off.

'Perhaps they found something down there, the Doctor continued, 'and used their might and wisdom to freeze it.' Adelaide continued to pretend that he wasn't talking and ran to a computer, searching through it to try and date the infection. The Doctor slipped his glasses on his nose and started hitting buttons madly, trying to bring up the database. Adelaide turned to look at him then, and a frown creased her brow.

'You don't look like a coward,' she thought out loud, 'but all you've wanted to do is leave.' When the Doctor said nothing, she continued. 'You know so much about us.'

'Well, you're famous,' he almost whispered.

'No, but it's like you know more,' Adelaide insisted. The Doctor finally stopped tinkering and looked at her.

'This moment, this precise moment in time, it's like… I mean, it's only a theory, what do I know?' He took his hands off the controls completely and gestured to Rose to take over and he stepped closer to Adelaide. 'But, I think certain moments in time are fixed. Tiny precious moments. Everything else is in flux, anything can happen, but… But those certain moments, they have to stand. This base on Mars with you, Adelaide Brooke, this is one vital moment. What happens here must always happen.'

'Which is what?' the Captain asked simply, and the Doctor froze.

'I don't know,' he lied, 'I think something wonderful happens. Something that started fifty years ago, isn't that right?' Adelaide froze and stared hard at the Doctor.

'I've never told anyone that,' she breathed, and Rose's hands stopped on the computer.

'You told your daughter,' Rose guessed, 'and, maybe, one day, she tells a story to her daughter, of the day the Earth was stolen and moved across the universe.' Her gaze flickered to the Doctor, who gave her a hint of a smile to let her know that she was on the right track. 'And…'

'I saw the Daleks,' Adelaide confirmed, 'we looked up, and the sky had changed. Everyone was running and screaming. And my father took hold of me and told me he was coming back. I never saw him again. Nor my mother. They were never found.' Rose closed her eyes in sympathy as Adelaide told her tale. 'But, out on the streets, there was panic and burning. I went to the window, and there, in the sky… I saw it Doctor. And it saw me.' There was a flicker of horror in the Doctor's expression, but it remained stoic. 'It stared at me. It looked right into me. And then… It simply went away.' Rose relaxed considerably and turned back to the computer, but the Doctor held Adelaide's gaze.

I knew, that night… I knew I would follow it.'

'But not for revenge,' said the Doctor. It wasn't a question.

'What would be the point of that?' The Doctor smiled genuinely for the first time since they landed on the base.

'Ah, that's what makes you remarkable,' he breathed, 'and that's how you create history.'

'What do you mean?'

'Imagine it, Adelaide. If you began a journey that takes the human race into the stars. It begins with you. And then your granddaughter, you inspire her, so that in thirty years, Susie Fontana Brooke is the pilot of the first light-speed ship to Proxima Centauri. And then everywhere. With her children, and her children's children forging the way to the Dragon Star, the Celestial Belt of the Winter Queen, map of the Water Snake Wormholes. One day, a Brooke will even fall in love with a Tandonian prince, and that's the start of a whole new species. But everything starts with you, Adelaide. From fifty years ago to right here, today. Imagine.'

'Who are you? Why are you telling me this?' When the Doctor didn't answer, she raised her eyebrows and asked again. 'Doctor, why tell me?' The Doctor knit his brow and his eyes took a sad look.

'As consolation,' he answered sadly. Thankfully, at that moment, Rose finally managed to get into the computer.

'Doctor, I've got it.' He tore his eyes away from Adelaide and leaned down over Rose.

'Andy Stone. He logged on yesterday,' Adelaide thought out loud, as a video log popped up, and Andy mentioned that the replacement water filters didn't fit.

'Ah, a filter! One tiny little filter, and then the flood.'

'That means the infection arrived today,' Rose pointed out, and Adelaide finished her thought.

'The water in the bio-dome is only filtered out after a week. We can leave!' She switched her comm on and barked instructions to Ed. Nodding slightly, she turned and ran out of the room toward Central, the Doctor and Rose right behind her.

'You were right, Doctor,' she shouted.

'What about?'

'Bikes!' The Doctor laughed at this and they put on an extra burst of speed. As they arrived back at Central, Adelaide returned the spacesuits.

'Now, get to your ship. I'm saving my people, you save yourself. I know what this moment is. It's the moment we escape. Now, get out.' Rose donned her suit, but the Doctor was motionless, his eyes following the crew's every move.

'Doctor,' Rose called, 'we did it, we saved them. Now we've got to go!' The Doctor nodded and regretfully stepped into his suit. The crew discovered that two of the water monsters were now on the roof. Rose tugged on the Doctor's hands and he allowed himself to be led out of the dome. The pressure equalised, and Rose touched the button to let them out.

'_Access denied,_' a female voice informed her. Rose felt her stomach lurch and she hit the button again, with the same result.

'Tell me what happens,' Adelaide spoke through the comm.

'I don't know,' the Doctor lied. This time, though Adelaide called him on it.

'Yes, you do. Now tell me.'

'You should be with the others,' Rose suggested.

'Tell me!' Adelaide snapped with more force than Rose would have thought possible. The Doctor remained silent and Adelaide sighed.

'I could ramp up the pressure in that airlock and crush you,' she threatened.

'Except you won't,' the Doctor countered, 'you could have shot Andy Stone, but you didn't. I loved you for that,' he said, and he meant it. He didn't mean the kind of love that he and Rose shared, but the kind of love that comes when you know someone has changed for the better, and you had nothing to do with it.

'Imagine… Imagine you knew something. Imagine you found yourself somewhere, I don't know, Pompeii. Imagine you were in Pompeii.'

'What the hell has that got to do with it?' Adelaide and Rose asked at the same time, but the Doctor ignored both of them.

'And you tried to save them, but, in doing so, you make it happen.' Rose frowned at this, making a mental note to ask about it later. 'Anything I do just makes it happen.'

'I'm still here,' Adelaide reminded the Doctor. He closed his eyes for a moment and turned toward a camera situated in the wall.

'You're taking Action One. There are four more standard action procedures, and Action Five is…'

'Detonation.' Adelaide said it with no emotion.

'The final option,' confirmed the Doctor. 'The nuclear device at the heart of the Central dome. Today, on the twenty-first of November, 2059, Captain Brooke activates that device, taking the base and all her crew members with her. No one ever knows why. But you were saving Earth. That's what inspires your granddaughter. She takes your people out into the galaxy because you die on Mars. You die today. She flies out there like she's trying to meet you.'

'I won't die,' the Captain denied vehemently. 'I will not.'

'But your death creates the future.'

'Help me,' pleaded Adelaide, 'why won't you help, Doctor, if you know all of this? Why can't you change it?'

'I can't. Adelaide, I swear, I'm sorry, but I can't. Sometimes I can, sometimes I do. Most times, I can save someone. Or anyone. But not you. You wondered all your life why that Dalek spared you. I think it knew. Your death is fixed in time forever. And that's right.'

'You'll die here too,' Adelaide grasped at straws.

'No,' the Doctor gently corrected her.

'What's going to save you?' Adelaide demanded.

'Captain Adelaide Brooke.' The Captain let out a long breath and released the pair.

'Damn you,' she whispered. Rose pulled the Doctor out and tried to ignore the sounds of Steffi's death. She blinked away her tears and continued pulling the Doctor through the corridor and out onto the planet's surface, still trying to shut out the sounds of the crew's panic. Then Roman got infected. Then Ed. Then the shuttle exploded and they were thrown to the ground. The Doctor pulled Rose out of the way as a support fell beside her, and he stood up. In his mind, there was a single crystallising moment, and he knew he needed to go back.

'Rose, you've got your key?'

'Yeah, it's in my pocket.'

'Good, meet me at the TARDIS. I have to go back.'

'Doctor, you'll die. You can't-'

'Yes, I can. I have to. She nodded and pulled him into a tight hug, then headed off toward the TARDIS. The Doctor ran back to the base and tossed a can of sealant to Mia, who closed off the hole in the siding.

'That's better,' the Doctor shouted, 'the dome's still got integrity. It's ten feet of steel combination made in Liverpool, magnificent workmanship.' He paced about the room like a madman, ready to pounce on his next idea. Adelaide stepped toward him.

'It can't be stopped. Don't die with us.'

'I have no intention of dying, because for the first time in a long time, I have something to live for, and if I die, she's stuck here forever.' It was at this moment that one of the flood monsters shuffled up to the door and slammed its fists against it. The Doctor ran toward a computer and sent a bolt of electricity to the door, frying the flood monster.

'Water and electricity, bad mix. What else have we got?'

'There's no way to fight them!' Adelaide tried to reason with the Doctor, but he ignored her.

'Heat! They use water, we can use heat. Works against the Ice Warriors, works against the flood. We'll ramp up the environmental controls and steam them!' He ran round the room madly, flipping switches and hitting buttons.

'But you said we die!' Adelaide cried out as a shockwave hit the Central. 'For the future, for the human race!'

'Yes, because there a laws. There are laws of time,' the Doctor explained, 'once upon a time, there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died. Do you know who that leaves? Me! It's taken me all these years to realise that the laws of time are mine, _and they will obey me!'_ The computer he was working on shorted, and he was thrown to the floor, the glass on his helmet shattering as it landed beside him. Adelaide ran to another computer.

'Environmental controls are down,' she informed him, 'sorry, Doc, but it looks like history's got other ideas.'

'No, no, no, not beaten yet. I'll go outside! Look at the heat regulator.' He snatched up his helmet, then threw it to the ground in frustration when he saw that the glass was broken. 'Not beaten, not beaten! You've got spacesuits in the next section,' he screamed. He ran around the corner and skidded to a halt when he saw water gushing from the ceiling.

'We're not just fighting the flood,' he yelled as he raced back into the room, 'we're fighting time itself. _And I'm gonna win!_'

'Something's happening to the glacier,' Yuri called out, and the Doctor growled in frustration.

'Think, think, think, what have we got? Not enough oxygen. Protein packs, useless. Glacier, glacier… Mints, minty, Monty, _molto bene_, bunny, bonny, bish, bash, bosh!' He screamed and spun around. 'The room! The room! The room! Look at the room. Section F… What's in Section F?' He looked around at the faces of the people he was trying to save, but nobody answered.

'_ANYONE?'_ he bellowed.

'Nothing,' Yuri supplied, 'it's just storage.

'Storing what?'

'I don't know. The weather spikes, the robots, the atom clamps…'

'Atom clamps, atom clamps!' the Doctor pulled down a storage door, revealing Gadget. 'Who needs atom clamps? I love a funny robot!'

While the Doctor was having a mental breakdown, Rose made it back to the TARDIS. She unlocked the door, peeled off her spacesuit and sank down onto the jump seat. Mickey padded up to her and rested his front paws on her leg. She smiled dully and picked him up, glad of the company while she was waiting for the Doctor. She was in the middle of teaching Mickey how to sit when she heard a key scraping in the lock.

'Doctor?' she asked hopefully, but to her dismay, only Gadget rolled through the door. It pushed a few buttons on the console, and, as Rose pushed the door closed, the TARDIS took off toward the base, materialising inside.

'Everyone in,' Rose shouted, and everyone ran into the TARDIS. The Doctor set coordinates and the TARDIS took off just as Action Five took effect and the entire base exploded. Rose glanced at the Doctor, and she noticed the mad glint in his eye.

'Doctor,' she started cautiously, and he whipped his head round to fix her with a wild grin, 'Oh, Doctor, what have you done?' He merely grinned madly in response and landed the TARDIS. Mia and Yuri stumbled out, followed by Rose, Adelaide, and, finally the Doctor. Mia ran away from the TARDIS and distanced herself from the Doctor, staring at him in terror. Yuri just took Mia's hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

'Isn't anyone going to thank me?' the Doctor asked arrogantly. Gadget rolled past him and shut down.

'He's lost his signal,' he continued, 'doesn't know where he is.'

'That's my house,' Adelaide said in amazement, and the Doctor looked round.

'Don't you get it? This is the twenty-first of November, 2059. Same day on Earth. Oh, and it's snowing! I love snow.'

'What is that thing?' Mia demanded, pointing at the TARDIS, 'it's bigger… I mean, it's bigger on the inside.' Rose stepped toward her.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered genuinely, and pulled her into a hug. 'It's called the TARDIS. And don't worry,' she added, 'I'll talk some sense into _him_,' she cocked her head in the Doctor's direction. Mia nodded, then ran away. Yuri started after her, the looked to Adelaide.

'Look after her,' she ordered softly, ,and Yuri nodded.

'Yes, ma'am.' He ran down the street after Mia and Adelaide took a few tentative steps toward the Doctor.

'You saved us.'

'Just think, though. Your daughter and your daughter's daughter. You can see them again. Family reunion.'

'But I'm supposed to be dead,' Adelaide insisted.

'Not anymore,' the Doctor corrected.

'But, Susie, my granddaughter, the person she's supposed to become might never exist now.'

'Nah, Captain Adelaide can inspire her face-to-face,' the Doctor exclaimed, using Rose's idea, 'different details, but the story's the same.'

'You can't know that!' Adelaide shouted, 'and if my family changes, the whole of history could change. The future of the human race. No one should have that much power.'

'Tough,' the Doctor said roughly, and Rose gasped. Something had changed the Doctor.

'You should have left us there,' Adelaide stated.

'Adelaide, I've done this sort of thing before, in small ways, saved some little people. But never someone as important as you. Oh, I'm good,' the Doctor praised himself arrogantly. Rose growled under her breath and marched up to the Doctor and grabbed his coat, spinning him around, then wound up and gave him the biggest slap across the face that she could muster.

'Some little people? Some _little people?_ I seem to recall you saving my life when we first met, Doctor. Am I one of those little people too? What happened to "I've never met anyone who wasn't important in nine hundred years of time and space?" What happened to the man who would drop everything just to save a stranger? What happened to the man I love? When he comes back, you tell him to come and find me!' With that, Rose spun on her heel and stormed back into the TARDIS, pausing only to say goodbye to Adelaide.

'Who decides which people are unimportant? You?' Adelaide was as furious as Rose, and she glared at the Doctor.

'For a long time now, I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not. I'm the winner,' he proclaimed, 'that's who I am. The Time Lord Victorious.'

'And there's no one to stop you?' Adelaide asked bitterly.

'No,' the Doctor confirmed.

'This is wrong, Doctor. I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong.'

'That's for me to decide,' the Doctor disagreed, then lightened his tone. 'Now, you'd better get home. Oh, it's all locked up, you've been away. Still, that's easy.' He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and unlocked the door to Adelaide's house. 'All yours.'

'Is there nothing you can't do?' Adelaide asked as she stepped past the Doctor, who looked down at her.

'Not anymore.' He turned back to the TARDIS as Adelaide walked up her steps and went inside her house. He heard the gunshot and whipped around, coming back to his senses and realising the full gravity of what he'd done.

'I've gone too far,' he breathed, and sank to his knees in the snow surrounding the TARDIS. He looked up to see Ood Sigma, the Ood from so long ago, standing across the street, and he heaved himself to his feet to meet him.

'Doctor,' he said in his neutral tone of voice, 'you must come soon. Every night, we have bad dreams.' The Doctor nodded slowly and turned back to his TARDIS.

'I'll be there.'

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**Oh, wow. That got so dull in the middle. I appologise. I always got so furious with the Doctor for doing what he did, so I wrote about it. :P Filler, then End of Time Part 1 next!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, here it is: the last chapter before the End of Time. I can't believe it took me eleven chapters to get there. Oh, by the way, this chapter contains the best writing I have ever produced. Ever. Enjoy, otherwise I will hunt you all down.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, because if I did, I wouldn't have to scrape together money to get to London in 2013, I'd just go.**

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When the Doctor stepped into the TARDIS again, Rose was nowhere to be found. He glanced up at the ceiling, as he often did when he addressed the TARDIS, and prepped his mind to communicate mentally.

'_TARDIS, where's Rose? I know you know where she is,'_ he thought, and the TARDIS nudged his mind.

'_She has asked me to hide her room from you, Theta. She's very upset with you.'_ The Doctor growled in frustration.

_'I know. That's why I need to find her. She has to know why I did what I did.'_ The TARDIS sighed and rearranged the rooms so that the Doctor could find Rose. The Doctor patted a coral strut in appreciation and ran down a random corridor, his feet leading him to one of the only plain doors in the entire TARDIS (that he knew of). He knocked on her door for the first time ever, and there was silence on the other side. He pushed the door open and poked his head into the room, withdrawing it quickly as Rose hurled a heavy book at his head. He left the doors open a crack, and chose to speak through that instead of braving the onslaught of books.

'Rose, please, listen to me,' he pleaded, and he heard Rose get up from the bed. 'Adelaide just killed herself.' The footsteps stopped just on the other side of the door, and she slammed it closed, hitting him on the side of his head. On each side of the door, the couple slid down and sat on the floor.

'She had to do it, you know,' the Doctor said, not really expecting an answer. 'History would have been altered, and not for the better.' It was then when Rose spoke up, startling the Doctor when he heard her voice inches away.

'Then, why did you do it?' She didn't need to explain what she meant.

'I don't know.'

'Oh, sod off, Doctor. You know full well why you did it. Now tell me!' There was a long pause, and Rose thought the Doctor had actually left. There was a sigh, then:

'I'm tired of it, Rose. So many people- good people- die, and I can't save them. As soon as Ed got infected, it was the final straw. I think… I think that, for those few short minutes, I lost my mind.' He paused again, and a memory came to him. 'You know, back on… Back on Gallifrey, when I was in the Academy, I wasn't the most well-liked person there. I was teased for being half human- on my mother's side- and I barely passed on my second time. Then I met a Time Lord who called himself the Master. He protected me from those who teased me, and he became my best friend. Then came the Time War, and for a very long time, I thought I was the last of the Time Lords. What I didn't know was that the Master had also escaped, and he was living at the end of the universe as a human. When I was travelling with Martha, Jack found me and leapt at the TARDIS just as it was going off into the vortex. She tried to shake him off, and we ended up at the end of the universe. Long story short, the Master had total control of the Earth for an entire year, and just when I thought I had found salvation, he was snatched away. He was shot and refused to regenerate.' The Doctor felt a tear slip down his cheek and he impatiently brushed it away.

'The Master was mad. When Time Lords are eight years old, there is a certain… Rite of passage, if you will, that they have to undergo. We were taken to a sort of window that looked into the vortex, called the Untempered Schism. Though most of us ran away, myself included, the Master looked into it and lost his mind.' He took a deep breath.

'When I went back to that base, I knew what the Master felt. I thought that since I was the last of the Time Lords, I was the winner of the war, and the laws of Time would bend around me. If Adelaide hadn't killed herself, I think I would still be in that state. I would bring back Donna's memory, potentially killing her, I would have gone back to Canary Wharf to stop you from falling through the Void, I think I may have even gone back to the Time War and saved my people. I was completely out of control.' The door separating them opened then, and Rose stood above him, her arms crossed.

'Damn right, you were. Don't let it happen again.' The Doctor stood up and she led him into the room, pushing him down on the bed and sitting down beside him.

'You're half human? Why didn't you ever tell me?'

'I don't know,' he started, and Rose shot him a dirty look. 'No, really, I don't know. I guess… It was just after the Time War, and I needed to feel bulletproof. You saw me as this wonderful alien, and I figured if I told you about my human side… You would leave.' Rose narrowed her eyes and stood up, pushing the Doctor onto his back.

'You half-alien idiot!' she shouted, and the Doctor winced.

'Rose, if you want to leave…' Rose gave him a half smile and affectionately kicked his leg.

'I'm not going to leave. How could you even think that I wanted to, even back in the beginning?' She shook her head. 'You know, for a genius, you're a real moron sometimes, you know that?' She smiled a full smile, now. 'You had me at "run."' The Doctor smiled back and pulled her down next to him.

'I love you,' he said, and kissed her temple. Rose grinned and laid her head on his chest.

'I love you too. Wait, where's Jack?' The Doctor's steady breathing stilled suddenly.

'Crap. He better still be alive- wait.' Rose chuckled.

'Still, though, we should go check on him. I left the dogs with him, and I'm not sure he's got what it takes to take care of them.' Upon hearing this, the Doctor whined and tightened his arms around Rose.

'Can't we just stay here? Jack will be fine.' Normally, Rose would have refused and gone to check on their dogs, but at the moment, she was too exhausted to care.

'Yeah, we can stay here.' The Doctor made a little noise of happiness and shifted their bodies so that they were lying on the bed properly, then pulled the duvet over them after he kicked his shoes off.

'Sleep well, my Rose,' the Doctor murmured, and Rose buried her face deeper into his chest. 'May you be able to fully open up, like your namesake.' When the Doctor said that last bit, Rose stilled her movements and pulled back to look him in the eye.

'Oh, you are such a sap,' she teased, and the Doctor turned red. 'Would you like to take that last bit back?'

'Yes please,' he mumbled, and Rose laughed, lowering her head back down to her alien and fell asleep quickly. Unfortunately, the bliss of sleep and the comfort of the Doctor's arms didn't stop her from having terrible dreams. At one point, there was a man laughing maniacally, while at other times, Rose saw the Doctor as he would be if Adelaide hadn't killed herself. The worst, however, was the Doctor becoming a flood monster, water pouring out of his mouth while his normally deep brown eyes were shallow, cloudy and pale. He advanced toward her and shot a jet of contaminated water in her direction. Before it hit her, though, Rose woke and bolted upright, her eyes wide, and her breathing laboured as sobs wracked her small frame.

The Doctor was awake instantly, his arms around her and rocking her gently back and forth as she cried uncontrollably. He didn't need to ask what was wrong, he had been listening in on her dreams, and quite frankly, he couldn't blame her for reacting in the way that she did. He hummed absent-mindedly to her to calm her down and get her breathing under control. Finally, Rose calmed down enough to draw in a ragged breath, and she stared into the Doctor's eyes, memorising every detail about them, the tiny dark spots in his irises, which, coupled with the few gold flecks, gave them a warm appearance, even when they were searching her face in concern. There was also the way that the skin at the outer edge of each eye would crinkle when he smiled, making him appear older than his thirty year old body would suggest, even though he was nearly a thousand years old. The most comforting thing about those eyes, though, was the way they would change depending on the light. In Rose's dim room, they were a deep chocolate brown, but when they were in the sunlight, they would suddenly be a liquid color, almost gold. Rose didn't realise it, but studying the Doctor's eyes lowered her heart rate to almost its normal pace, and the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. He flopped back down and let his eyes flutter closed, but he opened them again when he heard Rose's voice.

'What were you humming?' He pushed himself back up and took her in his arms again.

'It was Gallifreyan. My mother used to sing it to me. There were once words, I think, but they've been long lost.' Rose leaned into the Doctor's shoulder and he gently tugged her back down to the mattress.

'Rose, you should get some more sleep,' he advised, and he saw fear flash through her eyes. 'It'll be all right. If you like, I can show you Gallifrey while you sleep.' Rose nodded, and the Doctor entered her mind, showing images of the orange sky, and the silver trees, and the way the citadel would sparkle under the light of the two suns, all the while humming the same song his mother would sing to him during his childhood, and Rose slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

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**Oh, wow. That bit with the eyes... Heh, I think I'm getting an ego. Anyway, that bit after Rose's dream was what I was talking about. Actually, from the dream to the end.**

**You all know how I feel about reviews, even if it's just to say hi.**


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